Longbourn Acres
by Differenthoughts
Summary: Modern. After the overall disastrous meeting with Darcy at Rosings, Lizzy contemplates how much she actually knows the man she claims to hate. However, there's not much time to obsess after Jane calls to tell her about their suddenly pregnant sixteen year old sister who is currently being tossed out of the farm by their mother. She still can't get him out of her head, though.
1. Chapter 1

This is my newest fic, the first that is separate from Casual universe so I hope you enjoy.

This will probably be a two or three chapter story, so be on the look out for the rest in a bit.

* * *

Elizabeth Bennet woke early, as was usual for her. Apparently her body didn't care that it was on vacation, or that she was staying with people who rarely got up before nine in the morning. It was a week into her stay with her best friend Charlotte and Charlotte's new husband, Bill Collins. Bill was an executive assistant to the great and powerful Mrs. Catherine DeBourgh, and DeBourgh was a surprisingly late riser. Collins seemed to take all his cues from her, so he and his wife also tended to sleep in. It was a bit of a surprising habit coming from the woman who spent her days either sitting as CFO on the board of her own company, or organizing one of the many charity events for which the great lady was known. Lizzy found it surprising that she slept at all, let alone well into the morning.

Still, Lizzy couldn't help but enjoy the few hours she had to herself in the mornings. The country neighborhood they were staying in at the moment was beautiful, especially at the beginnings of fall; the weather was also cool enough to add a bit of vigor to her walks. The area surrounding the great house, which is what DeBourgh referred to the house she and her relatives were staying in, and the smaller cabin where The Collins' and Elizabeth slept, were vast enough that even after a week she had barely gone through the same lane twice.

Of course, the downside to her walks was that lately Darcy seemed to have a sixth sense of finding out exactly where she was. He would join her for a while, but was always silent and brooding. She had given up trying to pull him into a conversation after the first time they ran into each other out in the wooded lane; it was like pulling teeth.

Their happenstance meeting two years ago happened when his cousin Richard had ended up in the hospital while her sister Jane was working in the ER for the night, a night Jane had been covering for a friend's shift at the time and shouldn't have even been there. Charles Bingley had accompanied his friend to the hospital and instantly become smitten with Jane. A few days later asked her and Lizzy to join him, Richard, and Darcy at a club downtown.

Lizzy had been excited to be able to talk to _the_ Fitzwilliam Darcy; his family owned the number one security company in the states. He also happened to be a topnotch Cryptographer, someone who improved or broke complex security codes in order to ensure the cyber security of a company or individual. Since Lizzy was a bit of a white hat hacker herself, someone who was hired by these same companies to try and break into their systems in order to test their strength, she couldn't help but foolishly believe they may have had something in common – or at the very least something to be able to talk about.

Well, that hope was shattered the day she met the arrogant, pretentious, egotistical man who clearly believed he was above everyone and everything. Any attempt at conversation was rebuffed and he had treated her like some fangirl screaming and crying over the chance to be near him.

Since then, they had been around each other fairly often. Charlie, who turned out to be Darcy's best friend and financial advisor, luckily hadn't suffered from their elevated statuses; he was about as down to earth as someone on Forbes' _Most Eligible Bachelors_ could be. He was genuine, social, and treated Lizzy's sister like the angel she was. It hadn't been easy, but for more than two years they had made their relationship work. Of course, that was until about three months ago when, without even coming to see her, Charlie had broken things off with her sister. According to Jane, it had come out of nowhere, and the only excuse Charlie had given was that it wasn't fair to Jane that he must always be on the road, and that they could only see each other on his schedule.

Lizzy didn't want to think she was unduly prejudiced, but for some reason she blamed Darcy for the break up. Oh, she had a fair amount of anger for Charlie too; but she knew these men. Lizzy and Darcy were thrown together to make up a group outing anytime Charlie and Jane wanted to go out. Richard would usually be there for the beginning of the night as well, but inevitably he would wonder off with either booze or a girl.

To Lizzy, the nights were usually torture. She couldn't refuse to go, because Jane asked for so little. So she went as a favor to her beloved sister. Darcy… who knew why he chose to go? To piss her off, probably. They always ended up arguing, usually over the stupidest thing. Over anything, really. If Lizzy said it was a nice night, Darcy would predict rain. If Lizzy suggested Chinese, Darcy would insist on Italian.

And while it was true that they had their fair share of conversations where they managed to stay civil, it was usually early in the evening; by the time they were ready to leave, they were also ready to kill each other.

The point was, she had spent a lot of time in their presence. So when she had her suspicions about Darcy's involvement in their break up, and Jane's subsequent broken heart, it was based on more than just that she hated the guy. It was based on the fact that, well, Charlie seemed to look up to Darcy, to always heed his advice as if were handed down by God himself. She had seen plenty of instances of it, so it was for this reason, and the fact the she was pretty sure Darcy's disdain also somehow included sweet Jane, that Lizzy believed he had something to do with her sister's broken heart.

Lizzy had high hopes for this morning's walk, however. Yesterday, when Darcy had _yet again_ bumped into her on the path she was aimlessly taking, she made a point to let him know that today she planned on skirting the fence that separated the land the cabin was on with the horse farm next door. Lizzy had grown up on a farm; as soon as the smell of the barn had hit her on one of her walks she wanted to get a closer view. Maybe see if she could strike up a conversation with some of the farm hands… offer to brush down some of the horses.

It would embarrass the crap out of Collins if he or, God help him, DeBourgh found out, which was just the incentive she needed.

It was a bit earlier than usual for one of her walks, but she knew from experience that farm life started at or before sunrise. So she changed into some jeans and a t-shirt, pulled on her worn work boots and decided to forgo breakfast in her eagerness to get out.

She had skirted the fence as planned and, as luck would have it, a rider was making a slow trot around the perimeter of the fence. He slowed when she raised a hand to wave and, like a true country gentlemen, tipped his hat.

"Good Morning." He pulled his horse to a stop as she approached the fence to chat.

"Morning." She smiled her most friendly smile. "Hate to break it to you, but you're herdin' air."

He grinned at her. "A little early for herdin'" he shook his head. "I'm checking the fence for break ins."

"Break ins?" she repeated, a little surprised. "From human or beast?"

"We grow hemp, among other things." He rolled his eyes, shifting on his steed. "There's always some dumbass kid who breaks in to steal what he thinks is weed."

She couldn't help but laugh. "You might benefit from spreading the word about the difference between hemp and weed."

"Sounds like a good idea." He nodded. "but there will always be dumbass kids."

"That's about right." She couldn't help but reply. "We have a farm back home. For some reason it's town tradition to sneak in and steal our scarecrow once a year to put it on top of the high school." She shrugged. "Can't imagine the lure."

He laughed; a good, hearty laugh and Lizzy couldn't help but smile. "Like I said, there will always be dumbass kids."

"True enough." She agreed.

"Where's back home?" he wondered.

"Nebraska." She answered.

"Cattle farm." He guessed.

"Mostly." She nodded. "When I was a kid my dad also decided to house horses for the people who wanted one, but not necessarily the responsibility of taking care of it."

He grinned, seemingly please with her statement. "I've met the type." He looked up and behind her. She didn't need to follow his glance to see he was glancing at the great house.

"I'm sure." She smiled.

"Do you miss the farm?" he wondered.

"Not at first," She admitted "but as time went on, yeah. I caught a whiff of the horses and hay yesterday and I had to come get another one. Is that totally weird?"

"Shoot. Not to me." He shook his head seriously. "If your morning's free, why don't you hop over that fence and walk with me through my chores." He looked charmingly awkward. "If, uh, that sounds like something you'd be interested in."

"You kiddin'?" she grinned, grabbing the wood post and pulling herself up. "I thought you'd never ask." He laughed again at her eagerness and dismounted as she reached the top of the fence to jump down. They walked back to the barn together as he led his horse; they chatted about farm life in general and got a feel for each other's experiences.

"My name's George, by the way. George Wickham." He introduced himself, shaking her hand. His grip was firm and his hand callused.

"Lizzy Bennet." She nodded back. "Nice to meet you."

"You staying at the Rosing's Place?" he asked cautiously.

"More like the cabin _near_ the Rosing's Place." She replied. "With some friends of mine. They're not exactly early risers, though, so I have until at least ten."

"Well, let's see what we can get done in four hours." He patted his horse and gave her a smile.

George introduced her to the other farmhands. They were a bit stiff with her at first, but once they saw she was here voluntarily because she missed the life, they opened up and exchanged stories of farming life, its ups and downs, and the day to day nuisances of it. Lizzy had experience with all the work that needed to be done, and when they saw she was capable and competent, they eased up around her even more.

Ten o'clock came soon enough, however, and she reluctantly said her goodbyes. Davey, who Lizzy took to be the head farmhand, let her know she was more than welcome back whenever she got the itch to do some honest work. She thanked him sweetly and suggested she might take him up on the offer if she was able to get away from her hostess for a prolonged period of time.

"Come on Lizzy," George called her attention with two saddled horses. "I'll ride back with you."

She grinned and pulled herself up onto the offered mare. She was sweet, but Lizzy could tell she was also eager for a run.

"Race ya." She challenged George, then took off.

She beat him back to the fence, but when he caught up to her he laughed. "Nice ridin' girly." He teased. "I meant to take you back to the house, not back to the fence."

"Oh." She laughed. "Well, that's ok." She jumped down from the mare, gave her a gentle pat, and handed George the rains so he could lead her back to the barn. "Thanks for everything, I had fun."

"Me too. Don't forget, come on back when you have free time." He reminded her.

Then, suddenly, he looked passed her, his face turning pale. Lizzy turned to see Darcy standing a few feet from the fence, obviously having just come down the lane. He was looking at George like he might fly over the fence and tackle him.

"I'll, uh, see you around Lizzy." George stammered, then turned and kicked the horse into a trot without waiting for an answer.

"So, that was… weird. Do you two know each other?" Lizzy couldn't help but ask as she climbed back over the fence to Darcy's side.

"What the _hell_ were you doing over there?" he all but demanded, turning his fury on her.

"What the hell business is it of _yours_?" she snapped back, swinging her legs over the fence and jumping down. It wasn't unusual for them to fight, but this was out of nowhere and she had been having a great morning. She would be damned if she let him ruin it. He marched over to her, and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Don't you ever go anywhere with him alone, do you hear me? _Ever_." His eyes were wide and his grip tight.

" _Darcy_ ," She said, her voice sounding more astonished than anything. "Let go."

His hand dropped away from her like he had been burned; he looked like he hadn't even realized he was touching her.

"George Wickham is a dangerous man." He told her in a much calmer voice. "Stay away from him."

"Why?" she wanted to know. "How is he so dangerous?"

"Jesus, Elizabeth." Whatever control he had gained was once more lost. He ran his hand roughly through his hair. As much as she had joked before about how they would like to strangle one another, he looked convincingly close to it now. "Can you, for once in your life, not argue with me? Just trust me, okay? He. Is. _Dangerous_."

"Trust you?" she couldn't help but laugh. "Why should I trust _you_?"

"Because," he actually bit his lip, his hands on his hips as he shifted from one foot to the other, and then, as if the floodgates had been opened, he threw his arms up and said, rather loudly, "I love you, okay?"

If he had just told her he was her twin brother from Mars, she would not have been more shocked. Her jaw actually dropped, and she wondered if she heard him correctly. "I know." He seemed to reply to her reaction. "It's crazy. It's insane. I have no idea what's gotten into me." He scowled; this was the face she was used to, this put her on solid grown once more.

"I mean, we could not be more different. I've been attending the finest private schools since kindergarten; been invited to the top social events since I hit puberty; I'm a CEO for the top security company, and you…" he seemed to struggle with what she was in comparison. "you're a farmer. A Hacker. " He seemed to find that amusing, apparently not noticing the look of death on her face. "When the press gets ahold of this…but I don't care about that. I've resigned myself. I love you, Elizabeth." He took her hand while she was still in shock. "So, believe me when I say I have your best interest at heart."

"You've _resigned_ yourself?" she repeated. He looked a bit confused at her tone. "Well, good news Darcy, the press is _never_ going to get a hold of this story." She plucked her hand back from his grasp and gave him a little shove backwards so he wasn't so close.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but the anger inside of her made it hard to articulate any one thing.

"Wait, that's it? You're… _rejecting_ me?" he asked, clearly stunned.

"You bet your Ivy League ass I am." She burst back with. "How dare you come up to me and tell me how _beneath_ you I am, but that you somehow found a way to like me anyway?"

"I, I didn't mean-" he started to reply, but she didn't give him a chance.

"Yes, you did." She pointed at him. "You meant every word of it. Well, guess what, Darcy? I'm proud to be a farmer. And so is Jane. Despite what you try to tell yourself, there's no shame in actually working for a living."

"I never-" he started again, but once more she ignored his attempts to defend himself.

"I've had to work for everything I have, and I would do it all again rather than have some trust fund hand me anything and everything I wanted. That's clearly made you into the egotistical self-centered asshole you are," she told him with a scowl. "If you weren't so hell bent on offending everyone around you, I'd actually feel sorry for you, because you obviously can't find pleasure in anything but looking down on others from your high horse and thinking you're so much better than they are."

He looked ready to argue, but she barely paused for breath. "Well, I have news for you, Darcy. No amount of money, private schooling, or social events can make you even the slightest bit appealing. I would rather spend hours cleaning the muck from a barn with George than spend one minute in your presence." That seemed to get through to him. Instead of the haughty look of offense, his face seemed to crumble a bit. She couldn't help but add, "I wouldn't love you if you were the last man on earth."

"I get it." He finally said, throwing a hand up to stop any more words. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he just repeated "I get it." and turned to walk away.

Lizzy watched him go. It wasn't until she had turned away from the house and walked for another hour that she felt ready for company. Thankfully, they had no plans to visit the DeBourgh house together today. Charlotte could tell right away that Lizzy was not herself, but Lizzy just said she and Darcy had had another argument and left it at that.

Lying in bed that night, she went over their conversation for what felt like the hundredth time since it happened. Now that her anger had cooled, she regretted the words she said. He was an asshole, but that didn't mean she had to stoop to his level. Anyway, he had said he loved her and although she didn't believe it was really love that he felt, he had clearly felt something strong enough to confess it to her. With Jane's recent heartbreak, she was sympathetic to those with unrequited love and she felt she could have handled her rejection a bit better.

Besides, let's face it, it was a compliment to arise the interest of someone like Darcy; she was not so blind that she didn't realize that. He was handsome, relatively famous, and rich; he could probably have just about any girl he wanted. Lizzy guessed he was interested in her because, deep down, he knew she would reject him and it was a novelty to him. He had said it himself: they were simply too different from each other. Also, she didn't worship the ground he walked on and that was probably refreshing for him. Once he realized the reasons he thought he loved her, he would get over it quickly enough.

The next morning, she slept later than she usually did. There wasn't much time before the house awoke, but she thought she'd at least get out and see if she could chat with George for a while. Maybe she could even get the story behind the reason Darcy seemed to hate him. The one thing she was sure she wouldn't have to worry about was running into Darcy himself. Collins had let them know at dinner that he and Richard were heading back to town today, rather unexpectedly.

So, when she came around the side of the house, she was understandably shocked to see him leaning against the building, clearly waiting for her. She stopped short; he saw her and stood straight, coming close enough to hand her a letter.

"I'm obviously terrible when it comes to talking. I was always better at expressing myself through writing, so I hope you'll give me a chance and read this." He murmured to her. He looked so much like a kicked puppy that she couldn't help but take the letter. She got nervous when he didn't immediately turn to walk away and wondered if she should prolong this awkward encounter by apologizing for being so harsh yesterday. She definitely didn't want him to get the wrong idea- that she didn't mean any of what she said rather than the fact that she just didn't mean to say it so forcefully.

As she was distracted by her thoughts, he took a step closer. He reached a hand out to cup her cheek, his thumb running softly over her skin. She was shocked at the feel of him, too shocked to pull away. "I'm sorry I screwed things up so badly, Elizabeth. You can't know how sorry."

She didn't know what to say, but before she could even try to come up with a reply, he leaned forward slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away. She couldn't exactly say why she didn't. She clearly saw his intentions, couldn't exactly blame him for taking her off guard; because let's face it, his slow descent was both a clear intent of his purpose and ample opportunity to push him away. All she knew was she saw him coming and waited the time it took for him to meet his lips with hers.

His kiss was… electric.

Lizzy had never felt so much from such a simple act before. Without quite knowing she was doing it, she stepped forward into him, resting a hand on his chest. They only met in those three places, his hand on her cheek, his lips on hers, and her hand on his chest. Still, Lizzy felt like she was enveloped in him. Had she never noticed how good he smelled? How strong he was; how gentle? His tongue swept her lips and she opened her mouth to him. She sighed with pleasure as their tongues moved together slowly and she added one more thing to her list; how good he tasted.

His kiss was slow and deliberate; there was no world outside the two of them and this perfect moment. No Jane, No Charles, no Wickham. No idiotic speeches about how he was a millionaire and she was a lowly farmer; no scathing remarks about the deficiencies of his character. Still, memories did flow through her brain. Fragments of times she had always conveniently ignored when she thought of Darcy. Times they had actually laughed together; times he had offered to drive her home when Jane and Charles went off alone together; times when they danced, him reluctant but willing for her sake because she loved to dance.

She remembered how sweet he could be when she'd had a bad day at work, their arguing more like teasing banter until she was cheered up. She remembered how he turned women down when they were alone together and would always turn back to her as if there had been no interruption to continue their discussion, even when it had been about the most mundane things.

Most importantly, she remembered when she had earned his respect. It was when he, seemingly reluctantly, asked her questions about her skills on the computer and she very smugly answered his inquiries. There had been a surprised kind of look in his eye, and since then he spoke to her like they were equals. He was as brilliant as everyone said he was, and she often found herself racing to catch up to his thought process, but the admiring look he gave her when she was able to keep up was well worth the effort.

Now here she was, feeling wrapped up in him, owned by his lips. How could there ever be another when they fit together so perfectly? She wanted to kiss him forever; she felt his heart pounding in his chest where her hand rested and wondered if it was her imagination that felt it beat erratically in time with hers.

"Will! Where the hell are you, man-" Richard had come around the corner and they broke apart as if someone had thrown a bucket of freezing water on them. "Ah, shit, I'm sorry." He looked horror-stricken and turned to leave, practically running away.

Of course, the world came rushing back after that. Lizzy stepped back even further and put her hand on her cheek, wondering if it were from embarrassment or the heat of the kiss that caused the redness in them. Darcy was looking at her longingly, hopefully; it was apparent he didn't care that Richard had just seen them.

"I, uh, should go." She said, taking another step back. Great. She hadn't wanted to apologize because she was afraid of giving him false hope. What the hell was that kiss going to do?

 _God_ , she thought, pressing her hand more firmly on her cheek; _God, that kiss_.

"We're leaving for town today." Darcy told her, reminding her that he was still there, still looking at her with his intense gaze.

"I know." She replied, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there.

"I left my number in there." He nodded to the letter still clutched in her hand. She had completely forgotten about it. "Will you call?"

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I'm sorry. I have to go. Sorry," She turned, going to complete opposite way she needed to, just to avoid passing by him.

It took her a long time to read the letter. She had rushed upstairs, passed Charlotte and Bill with just a quick announcement that she was feeling ill. She ignored Bill's insistence that she at least come say goodbye to Mrs. DeBourgh's nephews and closed the door, praying Charlotte would be able to keep her husband from marching in and dragging Lizzy to the great house to mind her manners and say goodbye.

After a while, she heard the front door close and Bill chatting away as they passed by her window on the walk to the great house. Still, Lizzy lay face up in her bed on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling. Could she help it if she needed time to process the most perfect kiss she had ever received? The fact that it was from Darcy was definitely discerning. Still, it wasn't everyday a girl gets kissed like that. She had to decompress from it.

Finally, her curiosity could be denied no longer, and she tore open the hand written letter Darcy had delivered to her.

 _Dear Elizabeth,_

 _As angry with me as you no doubt are, I first have to say how much I appreciate that you are even willing to read this letter. Secondly, I want you to know I will not waste my time or yours convincing you that you made a mistake in rejecting me. Clearly, I was under the impression that we had a completely different understanding of one another and for that I can only be ashamed that my own feelings have plainly differed so greatly from yours._

 _I hope you know, at least, that I have never lied to you, and never would. As much as it pains me to back up my accusations with the following story, I could not live knowing you put any kind of trust in George Wickham._

 _George and I grew up together. You might remember that I, like you, grew up in the country. My parents owned Pemberley Vineyards and I spent a happy childhood there. George was the son of my father's Vineyard Manager, and he had a house on the property. Our families were very close and as we practically lived together, George and I grew up as close as brothers._

 _As we grew older, however, we grew apart. We discovered an interest in computer security, but George and I differed on what was an acceptable way of testing our skills. In hindsight, I realize I had discovered that George has a cruel streak in him. What had once been innocent childhood pranks turned to unnecessarily mean tricks, which in turn developed into a love for breaking the law until I found I could not find enjoyment with anything he suggested we do._

 _After his father passed, my father supported George. However, George seemed to delight in wasting every opportunity handed to him. He either flunked out or was expelled from any school my father managed to get him into until finally he just stopped trying._

 _When my own excellent father passed, I was just twenty three and still a year from finishing my masters. Despite my lifelong experience with the company, including knowledge from all aspects of computer hardware and software, it was something I absolutely had to do if I was to step up as CEO of Darcy Technologies. I had also gained guardianship of my younger sister, Georgiana who was only thirteen at the time. I struggled to balance, work, school, and family._

 _At the same time, George showed up to hear what my father had left for him. I would like to say he showed up to pay his respects to a man who truly loved him like another son and wished nothing but the best for him, but I do not think George Wickham has it in him to be grateful to another human being._

 _As it turned out, my father left him a piece of the land; if George agreed to buckle down and finish school, as well as intern under the man who was currently working the land, in a few years it would be his. Later, George came to me to request monetary compensation in lieu of the land. I hope you don't think badly of me when I say how relieved I was that I would not have to share a property line with this man. We met with my father's estate lawyer and worked out a figure that was satisfying to both of us. I hoped never to see my old friend again once this transaction was final._

 _Unfortunately, only three years later, he invaded my life in the worst possible way._

 _Forgive me if I am sparse with details through this next account. I have not told another person this story and it still pains me to think about. I only want to tell you the particulars so you will understand how dangerous George can be. You can, of course, ask Richard for confirmation on anything I've said as he is as close as a brother to me and knows all that has happened._

 _Three years later, when Georgiana was just sixteen, George somehow lost all the money that my father left him. He approached Georgiana and seduced her, made her think he loved her. When they were about to fly to Las Vegas to go to one of those drive through wedding chapels, I happened to visit her at her apartment near the private school she was attending. The woman I hired to do the cooking and cleaning and generally just watch over Georgie when I was out of town had been a friend of Wickham's and was encouraging her to run away with him, letting him into the apartment, leaving them alone together._

 _Of course, I knew immediately that he was after her inheritance, and when I told him I was in charge of her trust until she turned 2 and that he would not see a dime, he left. I thought for good. Georgiana was crushed, of course. She had only remembered the kind boy who was like family. He had been gone before she had ever really known his true character, but she believed they were in love and his sudden departure broke her heart. As I took time off to console her through this terrible ordeal, Richard also came to stay with us, as another voice telling her none of this was her fault._

 _I can only thank God for Richard._

 _One night, when Georgie was acting a little bit more like herself, I left to take a meeting I had been putting off for weeks. Richard stayed with Georgie, but someone called him with a ruse, telling him I was in an accident and I didn't want Georgie to be worried so not to bring her along to the hospital. Luckily, halfway there he got ahold of me and we both realized something was terribly wrong._

 _Richard made it back first, and found Wickham_

Here Lizzy could see the several hesitation marks on the paper, with a word completely crossed out. Clearly, this had been almost impossible for Darcy to write, and he struggled over an appropriate term.

 _Richard made it back first, and found Wickham on top of Georgie, with her crying for help. Richard, as you may know, had just gotten out of the army. I don't know what he did to Wickham, and he refused to ever tell me. When I got there, he was comforting Georgie, who, thank god, was only shaken up. Wickham was being led out in a stretcher. We pressed charges and found out we weren't the first ones to have done so._

 _Please, Elizabeth. Whatever you feel or don't feel for me, please don't trust that man._

 _I apologize for the length of this letter; I am sure there are some parts when I could be rambling but I needed to tell you why._

 _If you have any questions for me or Richard, if you just want to talk; if for any reason at all you need to call me, please don't hesitate to do so._

 _Love,_

 _Fitzwilliam Darcy_

He wrote his phone number under his name, as he told he did when he gave her the letter.

His story of growing up with Wickham, and what had happened, and _almost_ happened to his sister left Lizzy with widely varying emotions. First she felt that it couldn't be true, that Darcy simply disliked the man and misunderstood his intentions. It might have been easier to convince herself of this if he hadn't continued the story with finding George on top of his sixteen year old sister, however. Lydia's age. Jesus. That poor, traumatized girl.

That meant she believed him, and if she believed him she had to reconcile the good opinion she had of George with the terrible one Darcy had given her. In the end, she decided that she was only here for the rest of the week and if she didn't want to make the transition from stubborn to stupid, it couldn't hurt to avoid George Wickham until then.

She found herself reading the first paragraph once more. He was understandably bitter in pointing out that they clearly had vastly different opinions of one another. She did feel a twinge of guilt. She didn't mean to make it seem as if she _absolutely_ despised him. Okay, well, maybe she did in the moment, but the truth was that they _did_ get along once in a while. What had she told him yesterday? He was the last man in the world she could ever love? Christ that was harsh. Of course, he had just gotten finished insulting her. But he was terrible with words, and she couldn't pretend she didn't know that. He was always sticking his foot in his mouth.

But, no.

He was arrogant, egotistical, and obviously self-centered enough not to realize she hadn't even liked him, let alone… She didn't regret her decision to reject him, she had just felt terrible in the way she had done it. Because, despite his flaws, she didn't totally hate him. They were even sort of friends.

And, can we talk about that kiss for a minute?

She groaned, putting the letter over her face. "Christ," She murmured to the room. If she had been on the fence, _and she hadn't been_ – she firmly told herself, but if she _had_ been – that kiss would have pushed her over the edge. She had never been kissed like that; she had never felt the fire that had erupted inside her chest before. If Richard hadn't interrupted them, what could have…?

But, again, no.

It was a good thing that Richard had come around the corner when he did. Lizzy had muddled things for poor Darcy, letting him kiss her like that when all she was trying to do was apologize and move on, put this behind them. Okay. So she messed up; but then so did he. He apologized and explained why she should probably stay away from George Wickham and she… What had she done? She let him kiss her.

 _Nice,_ she thought, _now who was the egotist_?

Lizzy did her best to appear normal for the rest of the trip, but was grateful when the time came to pack up the car with her stuff and take her to the airport. She had run back inside to grab an errant book, the same one she planned on reading on the trip home in fact, and when she came out there was Wickham, grinning his charming smile.

"Hey." She tried to appear casual, which was made all the more easy by the fact that she wasn't alone; Bill was already in the driver's seat and Charlotte was rearranging things in the trunk to make a better fit.

"We missed you at the farm." He said with a bit of a pout. He was still cute; he still looked and acted the same as yesterday but with the knowledge she now possessed, any interest she might have had in him was completely gone.

"Yeah, I never got another chance to get away, sorry." She shrugged.

"I thought Fitz might have scared you off me." He said, trying to appear teasing, but something in his tone was a question.

"Who, Darcy?" she pretended to be confused. "He's my best friend's husband's boss's nephew, or something." She shrugged again, laughing. Technically, this was true. "I barely know him." This was less true, but really, they would probably never meet again so what was the harm?

"Ah, good. Well, anyway if I'm ever working the farms in Nebraska I'll look you up. Longbourn Acres, right?" The charming grin was back.

 _Whoops_. "Yep."

Of course, it would have been nice if Darcy had warned her _before_ she had told this guy exactly where she lived. Mercifully, Bill gave two impatient beeps on the horn even though she was like five feet from the car. "Well, that's my ride. I'll see you around." She gave a bit of a wave and then scurried to get in the back seat.

Returning home for her last week of vacation before a new semester at school was exactly what Lizzy needed. She threw herself into the farm life, getting up with the sun and staying up no later than eight at night. She had no time to think of Darcy, of their kiss, of Jane and Charles, of anything.

Lydia, Kat, and her dad all packed into her Dads old truck to take her to the airport for reason she could not fathom. It wasn't until they were well on their way into the city that Lydia began cajoling their father to let her and Kat take a little trip to the mall on the way back from the airport that Lizzy realized their sudden need to see her off.

As they dropped her off, she felt a wave of affection for her two little sisters, and pulled them into a hug. "Be good, okay?" she advised.

"Thanks for the ride, pop," she hugged her father after he finished pulling her bags out of the truck bed.

"Come back soon, huh?" he patted her shoulder in what was, for him, a show of affection. "I was just getting used to having a little bit of sense spoken around the house."

She grinned, hugging him again. "I love you too, papa."

Lizzy threw herself into schoolwork for the next few weeks. She would break down every once in a while and read Darcy's letter, for reasons that fluctuated depending on her mood. She was curious; she felt guilty and needed to punish herself; she wanted to check that he actually signed it with ' _Love, Fitzwilliam Darcy'_ – he did.

She also debated calling him every once in a while. She wanted to tell him she was sorry for being so mean to him, that she might not love him but she certainly didn't hate him, and could they maybe be friends? She never actually got up the courage to connect the call, but she did attempt it so often that she memorized his number.

What finally pushed her over the edge was hearing news from home; in the end, maybe from so many failed attempts, she called him like she was on autopilot.


	2. Chapter 2

It was about four months after she last saw Darcy.

Lizzy was busy finishing up all she needed to do now that it was the end of her semester- fortunately she had just completed her last final. She had gone back to her dorm room to look for her lost cellphone and, after finding it had fallen between the bed and the wall, she noticed she had several missed calls from Jane, Lydia, and her mother. Her heart pounding, she dialed Jane first.

"Lydia's pregnant." Jane got right to the point. Lizzy sat for a long moment, speechless.

"She's sixteen." Lizzy finally replied rather stupidly, as if Lydia's age factored into the validity of what Jane was saying.

"Mom and dad are freaking out; they're even threatening to kick her out of the house." Jane said, ignoring Lizzy's comment.

"Jesus, really?" Lizzy was shocked.

She knew her parents were conservative, but Lydia was both the baby of the family and their mother's favorite, Lizzy would have never imagined this outcome. Hopefully it was a bluff, or an initial dramatic reaction their mother was well known for. Hopefully, in a day or two, she would brush off her threat as if she hadn't been serious and everyone should have known.

"Who's the father?" was Lizzy's next question.

"Some farmhand, Lydia said. She wouldn't say which one until he took off and she realized he was not coming back." Jane sighed.

Another moment of shock; Lizzy had asked the question with the absolute certainty that Jane would mention some classmate of Lydia's.

"None of our boys would mess around with our sixteen-year-old sister." Lizzy was sure. Everyone who worked on their farm had been there for years. They had practically grown up as surrogate uncles, or cousins. Some were like brothers. "Are we sure Lydia is telling the truth?"

"It wasn't someone we know. It was a new guy. Dad says…" Jane hesitated. "Someone you recommended."

"Me?" Lizzy practically shouted in her surprise. "I didn't recommend anyone. I don't even _know_ anyone to recommend."

"George Wickham?" Jane prompted. Lizzy's heart fell into her stomach.

" _Oh, my God_ ," was all Lizzy could say for a minute.

Then, at Jane's prompting, she briefly told the story of meeting him while on vacation and Darcy's warning that he was dangerous. She left out his sister's involvement with Wickham; no matter how similar the story it was not hers to tell.

"Dad didn't think to call and check in with me about this guy?" Elizabeth asked with a scowl. "Someone just show's up, says he knows me, asks for a job, and that's it? Dad can be _so_ irresponsible sometimes."

"Do you think George forced himself on Lydia? She seemed to think they were in love." Jane sounded horrified.

"Either way, he is almost thirty and obviously not in love with our hair brained sixteen-year-old sister. He took advantage of her naiveté at the very least." Lizzy pointed out.

Jane went on to tell Lizzy that, if their parents were really serious about kicking Lydia to the street, she planned on bringing their sister to her place to have the baby. She hoped that by the time Lydia gave birth, enough time would have passed for their mother, at least, to have calmed down and accepted the fact that Lydia was now a teenaged unwed mother; nothing was going to change that.

"It's her first grandchild." Lizzy pointed out optimistically. "She has to back down, right?"

"Of course. She's just upset." Jane was confident, which helped reassure Lizzy. "How many times did she tell us never to come to her unmarried and pregnant? I think she had enough of that with her own sisters. She knows the reality of the life; how hard it is to raise a child when you're still a child yourself, and alone."

"That is true enough." Lizzy sighed. She didn't bother voicing her argument, that this was Lydia, and there was no rule that Lydia hadn't gotten away with their mother at some point.

"Well, I'm done with my finals here, I can fly out as soon as tomorrow. When are you getting there?" Lizzy didn't mention she would be flying out with what was left of her savings; Jane had enough on her mind.

They synchronized their plans, and agreed to try and talk their mother out of kicking Lydia out; failing that, they would pack their sister up and bring her back to Jane's. Lizzy decided to take a semester off to help with getting their sister ready for motherhood as well as the first few months of the baby's birth. This was over Jane's protests, of course, but Lizzy wouldn't back down and let Jane take this whole thing on her shoulders.

When she finally hung up with Jane, Lizzy stared down at her phone, lost in thought.

She couldn't help feeling like this was all her fault, despite the fact that she couldn't have known George would show up at the family farm after one brief meeting. At least she had finally wised up and listened to Darcy about the man and avoided him herself.

Impulsively, she found herself dialing that familiar number. For the first time, however, she hit send after inputting the numbers. Her heart bet a heavy rhythm in her chest, but after only one ring it went to voicemail.

"Uh, hey. It's me. Lizzy. Elizabeth… Bennet," She winced. "I just wanted to say…" Christ what had she wanted to say? And why hadn't she rehearsed this beforehand?

 _Apologize, Lizzy._

"I'm sorry how things... worked out between us. I... well, I read your letter." She winced again. "I mean, obviously."

She closed her eyes, looking to the ceiling as if asking for help. She had spent most of her life being articulate, even in anger. This stuttering mess was not her.

 _Abort, abort. Get off the phone._

"Anyway, I wanted to talk, if you have time. I promise I'll be more civil." She attempted humor. "So, give me a call back when you can."

She hung up, blowing out a breath of air. Jesus. That was a train wreck.

* * *

When Jane and Lizzy reached their childhood home, they were greeted with Fanny Bennet in a full-blown episode. When their mother opened the door to them, she was already in the middle of a sentence, angry one minute, despaired for her baby the next. She vacillated between cursing them for coming to Lydia's aid and holding her heart as if she were in physical pain at the thought of her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter out in the street; she seemed to forget, in these moments, that she was the one to kick her out.

Jane was a godsend. They split, Jane taking their mother to the kitchen to make her some tea and let her vent all her emotions out while Lizzy headed upstairs to find her sister locked away in her room.

"Wow." Lizzy couldn't help but say when she saw her. "Look at your belly. How far along are you?"

"Four months." Lydia said miserably.

She tuned and sat down at her desk while she folded more clothes in to a large suitcase. Lizzy joined her. She couldn't help but think Wickham made quick work of getting to the farm, seducing her baby sister, and knocking her up. She had only met him six months ago.

"Lydia." Lizzy started hesitantly, folding a shirt carefully. "Did George force you to have sex with him?"

"No." Lydia looked irritated at the question. She slammed a pair of pants into the suitcase and glared at her older sister. "We're in love."

"In love huh?" Lizzy replied warily, trying not to roll her eyes. She was happy to hear that although he clearly took advantage of Lydia and her immature emotions, he didn't, at least, force her. "So in love he disappeared in the night when he found out you got pregnant?"

"He's just afraid of what dad would do to him," Lydia huffed, and then brightened. "But I left a message on his phone and told him it was safe to come see me at Jane's."

Lizzy took this information in, opening her mouth to reply before some new maturity took over and she closed it instead. She decided, at the very least, to address the issue later.

"Are you all packed? It looks like mom's pretty serious about you not staying here." Jane came in behind her and asked gently.

"These two suitcases here." Lydia gestured to them by the closet. "I told mom I'd come for the rest when George and I find a place."

Lizzy met Jane's eye, glad for their understanding of each other so she didn't need to voice aloud her decision to address the situation later. She was a little worried that Lydia seemed so sure George was coming back for her, but she decided to save that little dose of reality until they got her settled.

It was a strange trip.

They stayed overnight, but it was clear neither one of her parents would be moved on the subject of Lydia staying. In fact, their mother seemed to take it as an act of betrayal that Jane and Lizzy were so eager to help Lydia out. She clearly wanted the new mother a little more desperate to show her the errors of her way, but thank God for Jane- she showed her there was no way they could let Lydia fend for herself out in the world.

Since no one was really talking to each other, or it turned into a screaming match if they did, Lizzy, Jane, and Lydia left early the next morning. They decided to take the train back to Jane's place; the trip would be a lot longer, but it was also be a lot cheaper. Lydia was either crying over the loss of home and family or optimistic about how things would be once she and George were back together. In mutual silent agreement, Lizzy and Jane decided not to take the one thing she was looking forward to away from her- that would come soon enough.

They settled Lydia into the Jane's condo. It was only a two bedroom, but Lizzy and Jane had always shared a room before and had no qualms about doing so now. The main bedroom they gave to Lydia, to have room for a crib once the baby came. Since Jane was the one with the medical degree, she took Lydia to all her doctor's appointments; Lizzy signed up for Lamaze class with her. They kept her in school as long as possible, leaving Lizzy alone most days to either put together baby equipment by herself or sit and wonder why the hell Darcy hadn't ever returned her phone call.

She broke down one night and told Jane what had happened between them. Jane was sympathetic, but Lizzy could tell it brought up still raw memories of her and Charlie's relationship. Jane suggested she give him a call again.

 _Maybe, somehow, he never received her message?_

Lizzy, however, was adamant that the ball was in his court now. What she didn't tell Jane, what she didn't want to have to argue about, was the fact that he had probably moved on and was now regretting ever saying anything about his little crush on her.

Then, she had very little time to think about Will Darcy; in what seemed like no time at all, Lydia was on her way to the hospital to give birth.

Jane and Lizzy were both there the whole time, Lizzy only left the room to give their parents a call and let them know what was happening. After hours of labor, Leonardo Bennet-Wickham came into the world. The three sisters feel in love with him instantly. Lizzy took a picture of him with her phone to text to their mother, but Franny still didn't reply.

Unfortunately, Lydia had a hard time with the demands of a newborn.

She decided to bottle feed so that Lizzy or Jane could take over anytime she needed them to, but she still felt like he cried constantly and that she could never figure out what he wanted. She was always tired, always frustrated, and always complaining. Unfortunately, the older the baby got the worse her mood seemed to get.

Jane was afraid Lydia was suffering from postpartum depression, but Lydia refused to seek treatment. Of course, Lizzy didn't think it was a coincidence that Lydia's mood dropped now that it was obvious Wickham had no intention of ever coming back. Lydia had sent him a picture of his son but, like their parents, she never heard anything from him.

* * *

Lizzy had just had an exhausting night consoling both her little sister and the baby. Finally, she got both of them asleep and crawled into bed herself. But, as exhausted as she was, she still woke when the baby started to cry at around three in the morning. She sighed, pulling her covers more firmly around her and waited for Lydia to calm her child.

Minutes passed, however, and baby Leo only got more worked up. Frustrated, but unable to listen to her nephew cry any longer, she threw back the covers and pulled her door open, making her way down the hall to Janes room, where Lydia and Leo were staying until a more temporary living situation could be found.

"Lydia." Lizzy pushed open Janes door with a bit of frustration. Jane's bed was empty, but Leo was still crying in his crib.

"Shh shh," Lizzy soothed.

She picked up her three-month-old nephew and rocked him the way he seemed to like. He quieted for a moment, but Lizzy knew he must be hungry and made her way out to the kitchen to make a bottle.

"Lydia?" Lizzy called as loud as she dared.

The apartment wasn't that big, and if Lydia went to sleep on the couch, as she sometimes did, Lizzy would have heard. Leo began to cry again while Lizzy was making a bottle for him. She tried to soothe him, but she knew he wouldn't quiet until he got his food. When the bottle was finally ready and he was sucking away like he hadn't eaten in weeks, Lizzy made a trek through the house looking for her sister. She wasn't, as Lizzy had assumed she would be, asleep on the couch. Or in the bathroom.

Or anywhere.

"Are you kidding me?" Lizzy huffed, going back to her room to unplug her phone from the charger to text her sister.

She tucked the bottle against her chin to keep it up and have a hand free to text. _It's three in the morning and your son is hungry, where the heck are you?_ She was just about to hit send when she noticed someone had sent a message through Facebook. Before she chewed her little sister out for leaving during one of Leo's feeding times, she decided to see what excuse Lydia gave for not being here.

The first thing she noticed was that it was sent to both her and Jane. As she read the short note, Lizzy felt her heart sink into her stomach and sat down on her bed, still holding her nephew. He was still eating, albeit a bit more slowly. Lizzy stared down at his bright blue eyes, her mind blank and feeling as if the blood had all been drawn from her body. His eyes were beginning to droop, as they always did when he only had a little bit left in his bottle.

She moved back to Jane's room and sat in the glider that had been squeezed into the room at Lydia's insistence. She sat and rocked the baby until he fell asleep, his mouth open slightly. Her heart swelled at the precious sight of him and she felt all the hurt and betrayal that he should be feeling, if he had any awareness yet.

Hours later, she had just finished feeding him again and was once more in the rocker to get him back to sleep. She heard the door open and Jane come in, setting her keys in the dish by the door and her purse on the table, as she did every time she came home. Although they had been sharing a room since Lydia and Leo moved in, Jane came directly to her.

"Morning." She said, clearly tired from her overnight shift at the hospital. "What's the matter?" she cocked her head to the side at the look on Lizzy's face.

"You didn't check your Facebook message?" Lizzy said in a hollow voice.

"Oh." Jane pulled her phone out. "No, I…" she trailed off, reading the same letter from Lydia that Lizzy herself had read hours earlier. "Oh, my God."

"She's not coming back." Lizzy confirmed. "She's abandoned her son. Look at him." Lizzy directed, looking down at the sweet innocent face of her nephew. "How could she?"

"I told her she was suffering from postpartum depression." Jane sighed. "Look at what she says – he'd be better off with us, she doesn't know what she's doing, she feels like a terrible mother…"

"I don't care," Lizzy shook her head. "She can't just abandon her son because she realizes, finally, how difficult it is to raise a child. Especially alone."

"Lizzy, I think she just got too overwhelmed, I'm sure in a day or so she'll be back." Jane assured her sister. "Until then we'll just have to do the best we can. Luckily, our schedules work out well."

Jane was right about that. She worked three days of twelve hour shifts on the days Lizzy had online classes, so they could very easily coordinate themselves without having to change their schedules very much.

"I guess it could be worse." Lizzy sighed.

"Come on, put him down before he falls asleep. We don't want him getting used to needing someone to rock him to sleep every night." Jane instructed.

They had already told Lydia the same thing, so this wasn't news to Lizzy; she had just needed to comfort him, even though he wasn't even aware of how much his life had just changed.

They worked out their schedules that morning before Jane slept. Lizzy would get up with him through the night on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday while Jane worked overnight, and then take him with her during the day to the library or to run whatever errands needed to be run, to give Jane a chance to sleep uninterrupted while Lizzy worked on whatever assignments or odd freelance security jobs she had to do. Jane would get up with Leo during the night on Wednesday through Saturday, and they agreed to play it loose on who watched him during the day for the rest of the week.

"I'm sure Lydia just needed a break. She'll be back in a day or two. Let's try not to give her a hard time, okay? She needs to get help for her postpartum depression." Jane was confident, and it made Lizzy hopefully that maybe all Lydia needed was a little break. Besides, how could she stand to stay away from Leo any longer than that?

* * *

After a month had passed and Jane had just bathed and put Leo to bed, Lizzy joined her sister on the couch after cleaning up his bathtub and bath supplies.

"What are we going to do, Jane?" Lizzy wondered. Despite their many attempts, Lydia would not return a phone call or message, let alone come back to take care of her son.

"I don't know." Jane replied, obviously having been thinking the same thing. "She's missing so much, she's going to regret it."

"I don't want to talk about feeling sorry for Lydia." Lizzy frowned, having had a much less sympathetic reaction to her little sister abandoning her child and disappearing in the night for a month. "What are we going to do if she never comes back?"

"She will." Jane was sure, but she sighed. "But I see your point. We have to start looking into steps to become his guardians legally, so we can make decisions for him if we need to. I was talking to a lawyer at the hospital, and of course it's not exactly his area of expertise, but he says since we're his aunts, it shouldn't be that difficult to get temporary custody of him."

"I'm so mad at Lydia." Lizzy confessed. "I love Leo to death, but I wasn't ready to raise a child yet. Now because of her selfishness and irresponsibility, our lives have been changed forever."

"We could look at other options." Jane said quietly. "Foster care. Adoption." Lizzy gaped at her sister.

"No." Lizzy said resolutely.

Jane nodded. "I just wanted to put it out there in case…"

"He's our nephew." Lizzy said.

"Well then, tomorrow we should go talk to a lawyer." Jane said.

* * *

Leo was four months old, and Lizzy was pushing him through the park. She jogged along at a comfortable speed, even though she could hear Jane in her head telling her the importance of getting your heart rate up. Up the hill she was circling, she noticed there was some kind of gathering under the covered picnic tables; a birthday party probably. There was also a surprising amount of young, good-looking, topless men playing volleyball nearby. Lizzy took a moment to appreciate the view before Leo got frustrated with her pace, which slowed significantly with her wandering eye.

"Ok, ok." She said, putting a bit more kick into her step. "Don't worry, you're the only guy for me."

After another few rounds, Lizzy stopped to refill her water bottle at the fountain and checked on Leo. As usual, he was knocked out. A run through the park always did the trick. He was warm, despite the top of the stroller having blocked him from the sun. Jane had put sunblock on him before they left the house, but Lizzy wondered if she was supposed to reapply it anytime soon.

She pushed the stroller into the shade next to an empty bench. While he slept, she took a book out and began to read, enjoying the cool breeze on her overly warmed skin. It wasn't much later when a white ball came flying at them; Lizzy hopped off the bench to grab it right before it hit the side of the stroller.

"I'm so sorry about that!" A slightly accented voice told her. And then, shock. "Lizzy!"

"Charlie?" Lizzy gaped at him. "Uh, hey."

"It's so good to see you!" he cried in pure excitement and happiness, reaching forward to give her a rather sweaty hug. "Oh, sorry." He laughed, pulling back. "How are you? You look great!"

"Thanks." All the plans she had ever made of being standoffish or straight up telling Charlie off whenever she saw him again flew out the window at his genuine happiness at seeing her. "I didn't know you were in town."

"We came about a month ago, looking to buyout a smaller company." Charlie told her, and then seemed to hesitate. "Are you here, uh, by yourself?"

"No." Lizzy said, enjoying how his face brightened. "I'm here with Leo." Charlie face fell, but he covered up his disappointment well.

"Ah." He said. He tried to smile, but to be honest it looked more like a grimace.

"Would you like to meet him?" Lizzy asked, then turned the stroller so Charlie could see the sleeping baby.

"He's adorable Lizzy!" Charlie smiled, bending over slightly to get a good look. He straightened, but then glanced back down at the baby; and something drifted over his face before he turned back to her with a smile that seemed much more subdued than the previous one. "Are you babysitting? Or…"

"Charlie!" A voice yelled from up the hill. "Did you find the ball man?"

Charlie waved his hand in a _be-right-there_ kind of gesture, then turned back. "We're having a little picnic up the hill. Why don't you come say hi to everyone? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you again."

"Oh, I don't know…" Lizzy hesitated.

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she suddenly realized there was a good chance Darcy was up there. After the horrible things she said to him, how could she face him now? He had also never returned her call; wasn't that clear enough that he didn't want anything to do with her? Besides, if she was going to see him again, especially after all this time, she was not going to do it after jogging around the park for an hour in old, comfortable sweats.

"At least for a minute, come on. Do you want help with this?" Charlie urged, taking the stroller and pushing it up the steep hill.

"Well, if you're going to take my nephew, I guess I have to follow." Lizzy grumbled under her breath.

She was most definitely not ready to face Darcy, but she didn't see any other way out of it. She grabbed her book and followed, still holding onto Charlie' ball. While he was faced away from her, she took the opportunity to at least straighten out her hair.

"Look who I found." Charlie announced when they reached the party.

"A baby? You should probably put him back where you found him," Caroline drawled.

"No." Charlie laughed slightly. "Lizzy."

Almost everyone turned to see her. She immediately spotted Darcy sitting next to a young, long-haired blonde girl, with a look of shock on his face at seeing her. The girl was beautiful and poised, and they looked very comfortable together; more comfortable than Lizzy had seen him with any other person.

Lizzy felt sick and couldn't say why.

He had confessed his feelings over a year ago and she had shot him down, shot him down _hard_. What did she expect – that he would never move on? She turned to gaze at the rest of the men and women, then impulsively tossed the ball she was holding to the group of sweating, shirtless guys who were still standing near the volleyball net. One of them caught it, and smiled in her direction.

"Liz!" Richard came out of the crowd to greet her first. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly. She was happy to see that, although he was shirtless as well, he hadn't worked up a sweat. "How long has it been? A year?"

"Bit over a year." She smiled. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain." He shrugged, but looked more content than he had the last time she saw him.

Caroline and Louisa came over next. "Eliza, I barely recognized you. How good it is to see you, dear." Caroline said, her lazy tone clearly not matching her words. Lizzy just smiled and chose not to correct her on her name.

"You too. I'm sorry Jane didn't come with us. I'm sure she would have been so happy to see you again." Lizzy said, knowing the mention of Jane would bait her. Caroline looked a little put out after that statement, but Charlie, who had been digging in the cooler for a drink looked up with interest.

She turned and there was Darcy and the blonde.

 _Jesus_ , she thought, _please don't introduce me to your wife, or girlfriend, or-_

"Elizabeth." His soft voice caused a reaction in her, and she hoped it didn't show. "It's good to see you."

"You too." She squeaked out, forcing an awkward smile.

"This is Georgiana." He put a hand on her back and the blonde girl smiled shyly.

"I've heard so much about you." She said, holding a hand out for Lizzy to shake.

"You're his sister." Lizzy said unnecessarily, hoping the relief didn't sound in her voice. "I mean, it's good to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you too."

A noise of discomfort came from the stroller; it was not really a cry but it did interrupt the moment, and Lizzy took Leo out of the stroller before he really became upset.

Richards smile turned sly. "So, who knocked you up?"

"Jesus, Richard, real subtle." Charlie reprimanded in a low voice.

"I'm not pregnant." She finally blurted out, unconsciously laying a hand on her stomach. Later, she would blame the heat for her stupidity.

"I can see that." He leered at her comically.

She was wearing grey shorts and a sleeveless light blue tank top, showing off probably more skin than he had ever seen from her, but it wasn't like she expected to see anyone she knew at the park today. Besides, it was incredibly hot outside.

"So, then where'd the baby come from, the stork?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, Leo?" Lizzy looked down at him and smiled. "He's my nephew."

Lizzy couldn't help noticing the reaction her words had on the small group. The relief in Darcy's face was probably just as great as the distress in Charlie's. Caroline looked a bit relieved herself as she shot a smug glance to her younger brother.

"We were just about to start the grill." Charlie said, clearly trying to remain jovial despite the fact that he now obviously thought Leo was Jane's child. Lizzy wished she could explain the truth, but didn't know how to without just blurting it out. "You'll stay for lunch, won't you?"

"I uh, should probably…" Lizzy started to make her excuse.

"Oh, I hope you'll stay." Georgiana, of all people, spoke up. "I've been wanting to meet you forever. And I absolutely love babies." She said smiling at Leo. Leo grinned back at her, and then ducked his head into Lizzy's neck.

"Flirt." She chided her nephew, "I suppose we can stay. I'll just call Jane and let her know where we are."

"Oh, invite her along." Charlie said, way too eagerly. "If, uh, she can make it. We'd love to see her, wouldn't we Caroline?"

"Of course." Caroline feigned a smile. "We adore Jane."

 _Yeah fucking right._

There was no way in hell she was going to make Jane come here and deal with her ex who had, he seemed to forget, dumped her with almost no warning or discussion. The baby had taken up a lot of their lives lately, but Lizzy knew Jane was still heartbroken after all this time. She wasn't sure she would ever be the same again, to be honest, and Lizzy couldn't help but hate jovial, sweet Charlie for that.

"Ok then." Lizzy said gamely. Either way, she would have to tell Jane where they were.

"I can hold him if you like." Georgiana offered.

"Leo, this is Georgiana. Can you say Georgiana?" she asked, passing him over to the young girl.

Leo looked at Lizzy blankly.

"Not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid, but he sure is cute," Georgiana giggled at Lizzy's words.

She pulled her phone out of the diaper bag and stepped a bit away from everyone to make the call. Darcy and Richard were talking together, as were Caroline and Louisa. Charlie was recruiting some of the other guys to help him start a fire on the outdoor grill and getting the meat out of the cooler, but he kept glancing over at her during her call.

"Hey, what's up?" Jane asked, mercifully awake.

"So, I took Leo to the park and we ran into some people." Lizzy jumped right into it. "Charlie and that whole gang."

"Oh, my god. Really?" Jane asked, clearly shocked. "Of course, really, you wouldn't joke about that." She answered herself.

"No, I wouldn't." Lizzy said with empathy. She glanced at Darcy, catching his eye before blushing and turning away. "Um. So, they're having a picnic or barbecue or whatever, and want us to stay and hang out."

"Oh." Jane managed.

"Yeah, and Charlie asked if you wanted to come." Lizzy told her.

" _Charlie_ asked you to invite me?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Specifically, he said they'd love to see you if you can make it." Lizzy relayed the message.

"Oh." Jane repeated but then said nothing else.

"So, are you coming?" Lizzy asked after a moment of silence.

"No." Jane said immediately. Lizzy waited a moment and she went on.

"I kind of thought that. I wasn't even going to tell you but... I figured you should know. I'm going to get out of here as soon as I can." Lizzy told her.

"Is Will there?" Jane asked. Lizzy winced. "Lizzy, stay as long as you want to. I'm serious, don't worry about Charlie and me right now."

"Jane," Lizzy started to argue.

"I mean it," she interrupted, unusually firm. Then, perhaps knowing Lizzy would still continue to argue, she quickly hung up.

Luckily, Lizzy had an easy excuse in the form of a potentially fussy baby if she needed to leave in a hurry. Speaking of. Lizzy made her way back over to Leo, who was now in the hands of Darcy himself.

"Hope you don't mind. Georgie had to run to the bathroom." He told her.

"Nothing Leo did, I hope." Lizzy winced, hoping her nephew didn't decide to upchuck on Darcy's sister.

"No." he smiled. "Leo is the perfect gentleman, aren't you?" he asked, flashing the baby a smile. Leo grinned back, clearly fascinated by the male stranger. Suddenly, he grabbed ahold of Darcy's chin and gave it a rather tight squeeze.

"No, no, no." Lizzy reprimanded mildly, shaking her head and taking a step closer until she was right next to man and baby. Leo looked over at his aunt. Without thinking, Lizzy gently touched Darcy in the same spot Leo had just been pinching. "Gentle, remember? G _entle."_

She looked up to Darcy, prepared to explain how they were trying to break Leo of this new habit he had squeezing or pinching skin when he got excited, only to realize she had basically just been stroking his chin. She was instantly mortified, and he looked just as shocked as she felt. She immediately blushed bright red and dropped her hand.

"Sorry." She apologized awkwardly. Would it be any less painful to simply grab her nephew and run for it? "We're, um, trying to get him to stop doing that. Redirection, Jane calls it."

"That's alright." He murmured in a low voice.

There was silence between them for a moment. Lizzy couldn't stand the awkwardness; she had to get all the things she needed to say to him out of the way.

"Listen, I wanted to say-" Lizzy started, but Caroline interrupted.

"I brought you a drink, William." She said with a simpering smile. Lizzy had the urge to tell her to have a little self-respect, but she managed to keep her mouth shut.

"Ah, thank you." Darcy accepted the red cup awkwardly as, of course, Leo was in his arms.

"I'll take him," Lizzy reached out for him and Darcy passed him back.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Darcy asked politely.

"That's alright. I'm fine." Lizzy assured him. She would rather be parched in the desert than be left alone with Caroline for any amount of time.

"Your nephew is simply adorable," Caroline told her as Lizzy swayed slightly out of habit while Leo took in the new environment. "Jane must be so proud."

"Thank you." She took the compliment but said nothing about Jane.

"Did you manage to get hold of her?" Charlie came up, having recruited one of the other men to watch the burger and hotdogs on the grill.

"Yes." Lizzy said. "She's not coming." Charlie looked crushed, and Lizzy felt for him, no matter how much she told herself that he was the one to break her sister's heart, not the other way around.

"Speaking of." Richard distracted her with that same sly smile he had given Lizzy earlier. "Who knocked your sister up?"

"My God, Richard." It was Darcy, this time, who reprimanded his cousin for his bluntness with a cuff to the back of his head.

"Leo is _both_ of our nephew," Lizzy explained, happy that she could, at last, be clear about that.

"How many sisters do you have again?" Richard wondered with a bit of interest.

"Four," Lizzy answered.

She didn't explain which one was the mother. She didn't want to get into the story of how Wickham had knocked up her baby sister and took off, especially in front of Georgiana. If she did, she would also have to say how Lydia had waited about a month before doing the same and how now she and Jane were basically raising their nephew on their own.

She didn't really have to worry; once Charlie heard that Leo wasn't Jane's, his exuberance returned, and he chatted with her exclusively for a while, preventing anyone else from questioning Leo's paternity. When he finally moved on to talk to someone else she hadn't recognized, Lizzy made her way around to dig through the color for a cold drink, wondering if she could get the chance to talk to Darcy privately.

She looked up to see him looking at her. She recognized the familiarity of the moment and realized that more often than not he was looking at her, and how stupid she had been to have always assumed it was to criticize. She gave him a little smile and to her surprise he smiled back, then made his way over.

"It's good to see you again." He repeated.

"Yeah. It's been a long time." She acknowledged. He seemed to struggle to find something to say. She was both disappointed and elated when Leo began to fuss, and she checked the time to see the needed to start heading home to be on time for their afternoon routine.

"Let me take you, at least," Darcy offered with feeling. Lizzy bit her lip.

"We walked here," she replied; the site of his obvious disappointment stirred something in her, and she found herself continuing. "It's not very far if you want to… um…"

"I'll walk you," he stated, then turned to inform Charlie. Lizzy couldn't help the indulgent smile at his brisk statement, wondering when she lost her irritation at his take charge attitude.

Once all her things were gathered and Darcy promised the group he would return as soon as he saw Lizzy and Leo home safely, they started out. Lizzy pushed Leo in the stroller while Darcy walked silently beside them. She hated the uncomfortable silence between them- even in the very beginning things were never stilted with Darcy. They had never lacked conversation topics, even if they vacillated between arguing and Lizzy purposefully antagonizing him for a response.

"Listen-"

"I hoped-"

She gave a little laugh and he smiled with no less discomfort.

"Darcy, let me." She finally said. "I've been waiting to... to talk to you ever since I got your letter, after our fight." She paused, but he said nothing. "I said some pretty horrible things to you that day, all of which I would take back, if I could."

"You would?" he seemed shocked.

"Of course." She replied with a bit of feeling. "I was just... _so_ mean to you. It was completely uncalled for; especially when you were just trying to protect me from Wickham; which obviously was something I needed." She carefully avoided mentioning how he had confessed his feelings for her.

"What happened?" he asked warily.

"You were right about him of course," She told him, surprised he didn't know.

"He didn't..." he trailed off, obviously not wanting to voice his fears.

"No." she said hurriedly. "I avoided him, until the last day I was there and he came to say goodbye, with Bill and Charlotte standing a few feet away." She paused, then bit her lip and added "Not me." softly. Darcy didn't say anything until they turned into the apartment complex that she and Jane lived at.

"Who?" He finally asked gruffly. Her face fell and he instinctively reached for her hand, then seemed to hesitate before dropping it back down to his side.

"My little sister, Lydia." He looked distressed but not surprised. "She says it was consensual, but she was only sixteen. And when we found out she was pregnant, he took off, and then…" Lizzy trailed off, afraid she said too much. She gripped the stroller tightly, her knuckles turning white in the process.

"Then what?" he prodded gently.

"I have an unwed teenage mother for a sister; I had to quit the school I worked _so hard_ to be accepted into so I could come help raise her child and it didn't all fall on Jane. My parents refuse to speak to any of us." Lizzy said with feeling, running a hand through her messy curls while she told herself to reign it in; it had been a while since she had the chance to vent to anyone. "Believe me when I tell you, you were right about everything, Darcy. You were lucky to get away from me and my low class family."

Darcy winced at her words. "You were the one who was right, Elizabeth. I was a total ass. I thought I was paying you a huge compliment but I was just being an arrogant, self-involved prick." This time when he reached out to her, he grasped her forearm in his hand. "I might have been right about Wickham, but I was so wrong about everything else."

"You just can't help but argue with me, can you?" She couldn't help but point out with an amused grin. He returned it.

"I love arguing with you, Elizabeth." He murmured, running his hand up her bare arm. She shivered and she knew he felt it. "I've _missed_ arguing with you."

"Really?" she asked, embarrassingly pleased with such an unromantic statement. "Why didn't you just call me back?"

"Call you _back_?" he asked in a slightly louder voice, face screwed up in confusion mixed with a bit of disbelief as his hand dropped back again.

"I called you, finally, a few months after… after you gave me your number." Lizzy skirted around the letter. "It went right to voicemail, but I left you a message and told you to call me back."

"Are you serious?" he seemed pained by the news, but also slightly hopeful. "You actually called me?"

"You never got my message?" Lizzy said a bit unnecessarily. He shook his head anyway and she kind of laughed. "Jane told me to try again, but I thought…"

"Thought what?" he prodded.

"That you just didn't want to hear from me anymore." She said softly.

"Lizzy," he scoffed, but they had finally made it to the porch of the condo they were renting and Jane chose that moment to open the door, though she instantly looked like she wished she hadn't.

"Jane," Darcy only hesitated a moment before stepping forward, his hand outstretched. "Good to see you again."

"You too," she said sweetly, shaking his offered hand little hesitantly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I was just coming to give Lizzy a hand with the stroller." She explained, taking the sleeping baby out.

"Allow me," he shook his head and didn't wait for an answer before lifting the stroller up the four steps to their porch.

"Thanks," Lizzy mumbled.

"I'm going to go put him down," Jane said, then practically ran back into the house and closed the door.

"Have you thought of me at all?" Darcy turned back to her as soon as the door was closed, with the air of someone was afraid of the answer to their question.

"Of course I have." She replied truthfully. The smile that broke out onto his face melted her heart and she couldn't help thinking of what his reaction would be if she kissed him.

"Lizzy, sorry," Jane opened the door once more to the sound of a screaming baby. "Do you mind?"

"Yeah, be right in," Lizzy frowned, and Jane was gone again. "Give me your phone," she demanded.

Darcy took it out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over, all the while looking confused. Lizzy took it and programmed her number in it before opening the door once more.

"Call me," she ordered, then closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

He didn't call.

The first day, Lizzy excused him. She had plenty to distract herself, after all; the daily routine of taking care of a four month old left very little spare time, so it was pretty easy to keep busy and only check her phone a few dozen times or so.

Every hour.

In vain.

When a second day passed without so much as a text, she became annoyed with him. All day long found her asking herself why he still hadn't called, and the only obvious reason she could think of was that didn't _want_ to. After that treacherous thought, she began second guessing every moment between them that day in the park. Then she became annoyed with _herself_ as well. She hadn't seen Will Darcy in a year, but one brief afternoon in his presence and she was obsessing over him like crazy; she was _not_ happy about it.

The third day, Jane had Leo and Lizzy had a long, empty day of being down in the dumps and completely hard on herself. She vacillated most of the day between the two extremes. Sometimes she hated Darcy; hated him for returning to her life, to rise her hopes that they might finally have a chance to explore how they really felt about one another just to completely disappearing again. Sometimes she hated herself for knowing that she must have made him feel something like this. Finding out that karma was, in fact, a bitch was not a fun experience.

On the fourth day, George Wickham and Lydia showed up on their doorstep.

"Where's baby Leo? George can't wait to finally meet his son!" Lydia grinned up at the man.

George had the gall to smile charmingly at them all, his arms full of bags with gifts for the baby. Jane, who was holding Leo, and Lizzy, who had opened the door, only stared open mouthed at the couple. Lydia finally spotted the baby and rushed forward.

"Oh my God! He's so big!" She exclaimed. Then, she held her arms out. "Come to mama!"

At this exclamation, Leo burst into tears and turned into Jane, clutching tightly.

"He doesn't even know you, Lydia," Elizabeth snapped, closing the door and stepping in between her oldest and youngest sister. "That happens to a baby who hasn't seen his mother in three months."

"Oh, he remembers me," Lydia waved her away indifferently, a move that was so much like their mother Lizzy felt an old irritation rising. "Look, we brought him some new outfits!"

In an attempt to distract herself- honestly to help curb her vicious tongue- Lizzy took the onesie Lydia pulled out of a bag George was holding. She was relieved and slightly mollified to see that it was, at least, in his size. Then she read the words - _handsome like my daddy_ \- and tried not to cringe.

"What are you doing here?" Lizzy demanded with incredulity. "Where have you been this whole time? And what _the hell_ do you think _you're_ doing here?" She turned to point and glare at George.

"We're here for our son," George answered breezily. "We have a house nearby, and I'm starting a new job on Monday, so Lydia can stay home with the baby."

"It's going to be perfect," Lydia grinned, not ever really taking her eyes off the baby. "All we need is our handsome baby boy. He's gotten so big, I can't believe it," she began to sniff and half reach for Leo again, who became even more agitated.

"Are you insane?" Lizzy shook her head, then turned and took the still screaming baby from Jane, turning to block the increasingly loud hysterics Lydia was working herself up into at finally being able to see her son after all this time. "Let me calm him down; I can't deal with this right now."

Jane patted Lizzy's back in a distracted way. She heard the stress in her sister's voice but she was far too focused on the surprising turn of events. She looked like she was having trouble processing everything herself, but Lizzy knew she would be far more open to hearing what the parents had to say. Lizzy had made too many promises not to jump down Lydia's throat when she finally _did_ come home that she had to leave in order to keep her word.

Lizzy was rocking Leo, who had finally calmed down, when Jane reentered twenty minutes later.

"Well, they're set on taking Leo back, but I convinced them it was best for him to stay here for now and get used to her again, to slowly let her take over feeding and caring for him." Jane explained tiredly.

"Yeah goddamn _right_ I would have let them just leave with him; what were they thinking?" Lizzy, despite a long inner dialogue about keeping calm, couldn't help but seethe at their audacity. They were both acting like he wasn't, at the very least, a statutory rapist, and like she hadn't abandoned her one month old son for three months, off who knows where and doing who knows what.

"The best thing to do right now is focus on Leo." Jane said firmly.

"Lydia is more than welcome to come home and learn how to take care of her son," Lizzy replied calmly, but her voice matched Jane's in firmness when she added, "but there is no way George Wickham, the almost thirty year old man who seduced and abandoned our then sixteen year old pregnant sister, is going to be in his life in that capacity."

"Lizzy," Jake sighed, her shoulders dropping and her voice turning weary, "George has more parental rights than we do. If we fight for custody we might not win. They got married, did you know that?"

" _What_?" Lizzy sat up, shock and anger mixed in her expression. "What happened all of a sudden to make them show up here and want to take care of their son? He was radio silent for almost a year, does no one remember that?"

"It's a long story." Jane was still weary. "The end result is they both made a huge mistake and they are working hard to correct it. And Leo being raised by his parents might be the best thing for him. George has a great job that will allow Lydia to stay home with the baby. They already have a down payment on a house, their car has the top of the line baby seat in it." The more Jane listed, the more bewildered and confused Lizzy felt.

"How?" She needed to know. "Why?"

"He said he worked hard to get this job to be able to support his family." Jane said evasively. She could see Lizzy gearing up for an interrogation and cut her off before she could really start; "Here's the next step. Lydia and George say they are all set up at their place for Leo. As for tonight, they want to say goodbye, but then they are heading home and giving us the night to get ready."

"Get ready for _what_?" Lizzy demanded with a frown.

"Since they have a three bedroom house, Leo will have his own room next to the master bedroom, and you and I will stay in the guest room." Jane explained hurriedly, not giving Lizzy a chance to say anything yet. "He will get used to the new place but still have us for as long as it takes."

"Jane," Lizzy shook her head. "Do you really think this is the best decision? None of us even know George, not really. First of all, who's to say we put Leo through getting attached to his parents, only for them to abandon him again when things get hard?"

Jane opened her mouth but then took a breath and leaned back. "That's fair," she admitted. "I think I'm too optimistic and you are too pessimistic. Neither of us can see the future, though, so we're going to have to weigh the best possible outcome for Leo's sake vs the most realistic. For now, let's let them said goodnight to Leo and go home."

Lizzy agreed and though Leo wouldn't let either parent hold him, he at least didn't cry at the site of them again. They all said their goodbyes and reiterated the fact that they would see them tomorrow afternoon and then Jane was putting Leo to bed.

* * *

He still hadn't called by the fifth day.

She _did_ receive an interesting call, though.

"May I speak with Elizabeth Bennet, please?" A friendly male voice requested at exactly 9 am that morning.

"Speaking." Lizzy replied hesitantly.

"Good morning Miss Bennet. My name is Ron Black and I'm the Talent and Development manager for Microsoft, here at our New York center."

Lizzy's heart beat a little harder in her chest at this news, but luckily she didn't have to come up with a reply before he continued.

"I'm calling today because we've heard about your talents from a mutual company at our latest conference, and we think our internship would be a great fit for you." Ron explained smoothly, like he called up strangers and offered them life-changing opportunities all the time. "We have plenty of information on this process that we can mail out to give you a chance to look over everything. I can answer any questions you may have as well."

He then spent the next twenty minutes going over the offer. The internship would require a forty-minute commute, and that was basically the worst part. For that drive time, the company would sponsor the rest of her education, coincidentally at the very school she had to leave before the baby was born. In between her online courses, she would be working a part time shift at the company until she finished her degree and was brought on full time. Part of this internship and education sponsorship was an agreement to work for them for a minimal of five years. They talked briefly about her skills as a freelance white-hat hacker so he could make note on who best to team her up with when she started.

Lizzy answered most of his questions on autopilot, still experiencing a level of shock that outweighed, briefly, her curiosity on how this once in a lifetime offer had landed in her lap. When she had hung up after confirming her physical and email addresses for the reading material she would have to go through in the next week, she sat on her bed with her cell phone in her hand until the fog in her brain finally cleared enough for her to put two and two together.

Then, she was mad.

* * *

"I know you're in there," Lizzy growled under her breath as she knocked briskly on the hotel room door again, a little louder this time. Finally, Darcy swung open the door, a look of irritation on his face that quickly transformed into surprise.

"Elizabeth," Darcy greeted.

"Darcy," Lizzy frowned. "Mind if we talk?"

"Of course I don't mind," He said formally. His body language and voice seemed stiff and wary, but he opened the door further so she could step in.

"Some pretty crazy things have been happening since I saw you last," She commented, as she strode into his lavish room. She made it about halfway before she turned to face him again, crossing her arms. He had closed the door behind her, but seemed reluctant to follow her into the room. "George and Lydia are back."

As she suspected, he didn't even blink at this bit of news. "What is even crazier," she continued without waiting more than a breath for his response, "is that George has a house, and a car, and a good enough job that Lydia can stay home with the baby."

"That's good news, isn't it?" Darcy asked hesitantly, finally coming to stand next to her but leaving a big space between them.

"Is it?" Lizzy countered, cocking her head. "Maybe Jane's right, and I am a pessimistic person. Because all I could think about was how and why they were there, and more importantly why the sudden desire to be the perfect little family. Then, in the middle of all this, I got a call from Microsoft."

Once again, Darcy didn't looked fazed at this news. This time, the confirmation of his involvement angered Lizzy to the point where she didn't bother pretending they weren't having this conversation anymore.

"What did you _do_ , Darcy?" Lizzy demanded.

"I…" Darcy put his foot in his mouth often, and when he wasn't doing that he was just generally a quiet person; this was the first Lizzy had seen him at a loss for words, though.

"Is that why you came back here? To swoop in and try and fix my life?" She asked, too impatient to wait for him to think of something to say.

"No," he finally answered, stepping towards her. "I didn't expect to meet you at that park, though to be perfectly honest, we did know you and Jane lived around there."

"Who's _we_?" Lizzy threw her hand up with a furrowed brow, suddenly distracted. "You and Charlie?"

Darcy nodded, still looking very apprehensive.

"What _was_ all this, then?" She frowned, running a hand through her curls. "You were just waiting around at a park near our house so you could run into one of us?"

"No," Darcy seemed to scoff at the idea, with such a familiar look of insult on his face that Lizzy couldn't help but roll her eyes with more affection than irritation. "We really are in town for business; Charlie is in the middle of a takeover and I offered to oversee it, since he has no experience with it. You know Charlie, he makes friends wherever he goes; our meeting was purely coincidence."

Lizzy took a few moments to process than. Her voice was more curious than angry when she said, "So I tell you we're raising George and Lydia's baby, and that I had to put my education and career on hold," she said slowly, "then practically the next day George and Lydia are here to pick up their son with a new house, a new car, and a new job, and I get a call from Microsoft offering me a truly insane opportunity that fits my needs perfectly."

"I…" he hesitated again, clearly afraid to make any more missteps.

"You can't just snap your fingers and make my life perfect," She told him with frustration and disbelief lacing her voice. "What's going to happen when Microsoft realizes I'm not the golden goose you made me out to be?"

He opened his mouth again then stopped, his eyes furrowing in confusion before rising in sudden understanding. Then, he blurted out, "Elizabeth, I didn't _lie_ about anything!" his voice actually rose in pure surprise at the accusation. "I assumed you were upset because I was arranging your affairs without your knowledge or consent. I truly believe you are as talented and capable as I told Ron you were."

Lizzy was already shaking her head and leaning back on her heels away from him before he even finished speaking, her eyes slightly widened. She was not used to compliments from the great Fitzwilliam Darcy; she was not used to tangible proof that he really _did_ think well of her. Still thought well of her. She knew she had misjudged him – she'd had about a year to drive _that_ home – but still she was thrown off by his obvious and absolute confidence in her.

"Stop," she finally said, holding a hand up. "Stop saying such nice things about me."

"Stop... doing _what_?" His confusion turned into a huff of laughter and he was shaking his own head; he clearly did not expect this response.

Their eyes met, and it was if they both suddenly understood how much the other was _also_ completely out of their element. They broke into genuine laughter then, leaving both smiling as they unconsciously stepped back toward the other so they were within arm's reach now.

"Stop moving mountains I haven't asked you to move." She tried again, doing her very best to keep her tone light and open.

"I felt responsible." He sighed, rolling his class ring to release a bit of nervous energy.

She bit her lip, then told him, "You're a good man, Will." Daringly, and to make absolute sure he heard what she was trying to tell him, she put her hand over his heart. She paused distractedly when she felt the warmth of his skin through his T-shirt, felt him tense slightly even as he leaned into her touch. His hands froze in their anxious movements. "And you have a good heart. But I need you to _talk_ to me, okay?" she told him.

"That's fair," he agreed softly, his voice sounding lower than usual. She had been expecting a fight, and she paused a minute to process his response.

"So obliging, Mr. Darcy," she teased with a smile.

Her remark pulled a smile from his own face, and he stepped even further into her, putting his hand over hers to ensure she didn't drop it from his chest.

"For you, Miss Bennet," his voice was still low and intimate, full of good humor and affection. Lizzy feel in love with this new tone of voice and had an immediate need to experience it as much as possible. "I would oblige anything," His expression was so open; how had she never noticed such a look of affection and admiration on his face before? Had she really been so blind, or was he just that good at hiding his emotions?

She smiled, tilting her head down as a red flush took over her face. "I'm pretty sure I told you to call me five days ago."

"Yes, but to say what?" He frowned, unconsciously letting her hand drop away from his chest as he began to twirl his ring again. "That I've been trying to become a better person because of you, but it wasn't until I was finally able to speak to you again that I realized how far my mistakes had taken over your life? I had to make them right first, so I wasn't coming to you with empty words."

"Mistakes?" She furrowed her brow, locking eyes again in her curiosity. The phrase _I've been trying to become a better person because of you_ began repeating in her head, but his statement peaked her interest and was far easier to talk about. "What mistakes?"

"If it weren't for me, George Wickham would have never gone after your sister, you'd still be in school, and Lydia would be home finishing high school like a normal teenager." He listed off, scowling again.

"Somehow that was all _your_ fault _?_ " She asked with more amusement than confusion.

"Wickham saw me warn you about him," Darcy seemed a bit confused himself, clearly he assumed she was on the same page about this. "He went after you because he could tell… well… he could tell that I…"

"Oh," Lizzy gave him an out, so he wouldn't have to say the words they both knew he would have said. Wickham had known Darcy liked Lizzy and had probably gone to the family farm intending on doing _something_ because of it.

"Will," Lizzy said gently as she took his hand and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. "Stop taking the world on your shoulders. You can't take responsibility for everything George's done in his life. You are not his keeper."

"I know what kind of man he is," Darcy argued sadly. "I know what he's capable of."

"How does that mean you're responsible for his actions?" Lizzy wanted to know, dropping his hand when she could think of no excuse beyond her own desire to keep it. "Lydia is _my_ sister; _I'm_ the one who told George the name of the farm; he used _my_ name to get a job there. If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened. At the very least, I knew how dangerous he was. All I had to do is pick up the phone and let my family know that if some guy shows up to the farm and says he knows me, don't let him through the gate."

"You couldn't have known what he was planning," Darcy defended. Lizzy smiled. She crossed her arms over her chest as she rose an eyebrow.

"So you're saying having hindsight and knowing their characters doesn't mean I'm responsible for what Lydia and George do?" She asked with just the smallest hint of smugness to her tone. He huffed, shaking his head and turning his gaze away even as his mouth tugged stubbornly up.

"Did I say I missed arguing with you? Because I take it back," he teased.

"I knew you must have been remembering our arguments through rose colored glasses." She grinned.

"No," he shook his head ruefully, turning back to meet her eyes again. "Richard can attest to that. I've told him how I'm always bested by you, but you do it so charmingly that I almost prefer it."

"You told Richard that?" she asked with surprise, blushing. He smiled at her reaction a took a moment to make sure she saw.

"Yeah," he rumbled, stepping closer. "Does it bother you? I'm afraid Richard has had to hear all about how great you are, and how much I screwed things up between us for a long time now,"

"It.. doesn't bother me," she shrugged, trying desperately to seem indifferent but failing hard and knowing it. "I'm sorry I… never knew you felt like that, before we had our big fight," she bit her lip.

"I never let you know," he shook his head. "I was so arrogant and self-involved that I didn't even know you hated me."

"I didn't hate you," she rushed to say. "I know – _I know_ I made it sound like I did, but I was just… I didn't hate you."

"So, you didn't hate me," he repeated with a slow nod, then he rose his eyebrows in a way to give his expression a look of teasing. "And, just to clarify, still don't?"

"Still don't," she attempted to tamper her goofy grin without much results.

"And, maybe even kind of like me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Lizzy tucked her hair behind her ears and bounced on her heels a bit, laughing shyly.

"Yeah, I _do_ kind of like you," she confirmed and was instantly charmed by his answering grin.

"Do you remember," he began as he stepped even more into her space. He looked down, his eyes locked on her face as he spoke, "When I told you Richard had to listen to me talk about you? It's punishment for interrupting us that day,"

She flushed again as their incredible kiss was suddenly all she could think about. She licked her lips and forced herself say _something_.

"Oh."

"And," he drew the word out a little as he placed a hand lightly on her hip. "I-"

His next words were interrupted by Dave Matthews singing about his sister.

"Sorry-" she grimaced, pulling her phone out of her pocket and hating how his hand fell away from her hip. "It's Jane. Hello?"

"You need to come home, Lizzy," Jane informed her. Lizzy could hear loud wailing in the background and her heart stopped. She thought for a few seconds that it was Leo, but then she realized it must be an adult. Lydia?

"What's going on?" Despite her best efforts, she can hear the sharpness of worry in her voice. "It is Leo?"

"Leo's fine. It's George. He's…" In her hesitation, Lydia's cries begin to rise and Lizzy unconsciously shakes her head.

"Never mind. I'll be home in fifteen minutes okay? Just hold on," she promises, then hangs up and meets Will's worried gaze.

"What's happened?" he asked. His tone is almost resigned in the knowledge that it has something to do with Wickham and must, therefore, be a disaster.

"I don't know," Lizzy frowned, pivoting around him and heading to the door. "Lydia was crying and all Jane said was it had something to do with George."

"I'll drive you," Darcy was following her out, pushing slightly on her lower back when she paused with the intention of saying goodbye at the door. Instead, she was being led out and down the hall before she could think to reply.

"Darcy, you must be busy," she tried to argue, but her mind is still too focused on all the horrible possibilities behind Jane's cryptic phone call and, to be perfectly honest, the hot touch of his hand that still lingered on her lower back.

"I'm not." He said dismissively, pushing the button for the bottom floor harshly and looking up at the indicator above the elevator doors with irritation. "That is…" he seemed flustered all of a sudden, unsure and hesitant- almost exactly the opposite of his former poise and take charge attitude. "That is… if you would like my help?"

She actually laughed, putting her hand over her eyes momentarily before showing him an affectionate smile. "I think I _would_ like your help; thank you for asking." She stood on her toes to be able to peck him on the cheek and hurried into the elevator before he could react. He followed her in with a surprised and slightly dazed look on his face.

Their car ride consisted of little besides tense impatience and Lizzy pointing out which turns to take. Although, while he was driving, he unlocked his phone and handed it to her. "Text Richard, please. Tell him I'll need to reschedule our conference call at three, to be safe."

"Darcy," she admonished, though she did as she asked. "I knew I was pulling you away from something."

"Nothing as important as this," he replied. Her heart beat a bit faster in her chest at his offhand and sure tone, and she didn't reply. She did, however, take the time to text herself as well, so she would have his number too.

He got her there in ten minutes and followed her inside without comment. When she opened the door, though, Lydia was holding Leo on the couch and she could hear Jane in the kitchen, making what she guessed was probably a pot of tea. No one was crying; Leo was actually drinking calmly from a bottle. He sat up when he realized she had entered the room, and when his arms went up in clear communication, Lydia stood and at handed her the baby.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," she sniffed, wiping at her slightly runny mascara as she disappeared around the corner.

Lizzy was expecting a literal disaster, so she needed a minute to shift gears. She met Darcy's eye after she looked over Leo to see he looked as thrown by these events as she was.

"Jane," Lizzy called out with a questioning lilt.

"Oh Lizzy," Jane came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea, which she put on the coffee table where Lydia was sitting. "Oh. Hello, Will."

"Good to see you again, Jane. Despite... well..." Darcy trailed off.

"We were…" Lizzy began to explain, thought better of it, then shook her head. "What happened?"

"George…" Jane took a breath. "I think he's gone again. Lydia says a few guys showed up at their place this morning. They threatened George over some money he owed them, and when he got them to leave with a few hundred dollars and the promise of more, he packed a bag and took off."

"What?" Darcy, surprisingly, was the one to bark out in anger. His eyes were pure angry fire when he said "Excuse me," with that familiar scowl and was out the door before either sister could react.

"How's Lydia?" Lizzy knew she wouldn't be able to stop him, and part of her hoped he was going to track down her loser brother-in-law and tear him a new one.

"Oh she was devastated again," Jane said with obvious sympathy. "Poor Lydia. I think being around Leo is helping though."

"Ok, listen, I'm going to run to their place and grab her some clothes and stuff. We'll get this place set up like before, with Lydia and Leo in the master bedroom and us in the spare." Lizzy said as she dug through her little sisters purse with one hand, looking for keys.

"He's not coming back, is he?" They both turned to see a miserable Lydia standing in the doorway.

"I don't know, sweetie." Jane came over and put her arm around her little sister.

"Can I finish feeding Leo?" Lydia surprised Lizzy by asking.

"Of course," Lizzy replied in her gentlest voice. She picked up the bottle and handed both it and Leo to his mother.

"He's so beautiful," Lydia said with awe, looking down at her son slowly finishing the last of his bottle. "Isn't he?"

Both sisters murmured their enthusiastic agreement.

"We usually read him a few books and put him down for his nap after lunch. Do you want to go to the room and get him started?" Lizzy asked. Lydia met her eye and smiled shyly.

"Yes." She breathed, then looked back down at the baby. "Yes, please."

Jane led her into the room and Lizzy hurried out, double checking that she still had Lydia's new house key.

* * *

The next day, Lizzy woke up to the sounds of Jane warming a bottle in the kitchen. Then, Jane kicked Lizzy's shin in her sleep and Lizzy realized it must be Lydia instead. Despite the urge to get up and check that everything was okay, she laid awake in the bed and simply listened. She knew it was good practice for Lydia to start getting into the routines of Leo's daily needs. She was also relieved Lydia hadn't spiraled back into her depression like the last time George disappeared without a word, and hoped that this time she would, instead, focus on caring for her son.

Knowing full well what she hoped to see, Lizzy reached for her phone to check if she had any missed calls or texts. She didn't; but before she could second guess herself into silence again, she decided to send a text out.

 _Good thing I texted myself from your phone yesterday; a girl could grow old waiting to hear from you, Mr. Darcy._

After waiting exactly one minute for him to reply - he didn't - she made herself get up, take a shower, and get dressed. As soon as she was clean and dressed, she checked her phone again.

 _My apologies, Miss Bennet._

She frowned at the short, cold reply, he sent ten minutes ago, but less than a minute after she checked it, he sent another one.

 _Perhaps I can make it up to you with breakfast?_

She looked over at Jane still sleeping, imagined Lydia on the couch feeding Leo, and wondered if it was fair to take the morning for breakfast with Darcy. He probably had answers for her about George, which was a motivating factor. Jane really was better at comforting Lydia. Lydia would probably do better with Leo without Lizzy hovering over her.

"Jane," Lizzy nudged her sister shoulder, feeling awful for waking Jane when sleep was always so hard to come by.

"Time is it?" Jane yawned, burrowing further into her pillows.

"Eight. Do you mind if I run out real quick? I think Darcy might have news on George." She whispered back.

"Go ahead," Jane replied easily. "Lydia and I will be fine. Take your time."

Despite feeling a little guilty for leaving to enjoy breakfast with the guy she, well, kind of really liked, Lizzy texted Darcy.

 _Breakfast sounds great. Sunny Point, off Haywood Road?_

This time, his reply was almost instantaneous.

 _Can't wait._


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all for being patient with me, and I promise I will make an effort to post the next chapter much quicker.

* * *

Traffic was heavier than she had expected, and Lizzy didn't walk through the restaurant doors until seven minutes passed nine. She spotted Darcy right away, alone at a table meant for two in the back. He looked very out of place, dressed as he was in the middle of casual breakfast goers. He wore an expensive looking three-piece suit, but she couldn't help but admire his appearance. She couldn't have pinned down the exact facial expressions that had changed when their eyes met, but she knew he looked relieved to see her; she hoped he hadn't been thinking she was going to stand him up.

She murmured something to the hostess with a gesture towards him, then briskly made her way to where he was standing in anticipation for her.

"Sorry I'm late," she opened with, stopping a few feet from him. She was suddenly very aware that she didn't know how she should greet him. With a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a handshake? Each option was immediately dismissed for their own reason.

"It's alright," he said stiffly, looking as out of place as she felt. He bumped his fist against his right leg a few times. "I'm glad you could make it." By mutual agreement, it seemed, they both took their seats, putting an end to their awkward stances.

"You look nice," Lizzy said, then flushed at his surprised and gratified expression. "I hope I'm not keeping you from work again."

"Of course not," he shook his head dismissively. "Besides, I know how much you would want to know about what's going on with George."

The waitress came by then for their drink orders, and when she left, they opened their menus for the first time. Lizzy gave him a few recommendations for food, but neither one of them were very invested at the moment. When the waitress returned with their drinks, they put their food orders in. After she walked away, they looked back at each other as uncomfortable silence overtook them once more.

"Did George really take off?" Lizzy finally asked.

"Yes." Darcy nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so."

"Good riddance," Lizzy scoffed with a scowl. "I told Jane it was a bad idea. At least we got Lydia back."

"The house and car are in my name, but it will be no problem to change the contracts from a joint rental agreement to putting it in Lydia's name. She'll need some kind of employment if we want to be able to bypass George and give her the child support directly. We have several work-at-home options available that-"

"Darcy," she put her hand up to stop him. "Wow. I… look, it was really great of you to get them a house and a car, but there's no way we can accept."

"Why not?" he demanded, in full CEO mode. His back straightened and he leaned forward slightly. "This isn't charity, Elizabeth. I must be allowed to take responsibility for the part I had in this."

"You didn't _have_ a part in this," she argued, irritated at his stubbornness. Some part of her mind was well aware how well matched in their stubbornness, but she couldn't acknowledge it right now. "George is the one who knocked up my sister. Lydia is the one to have unprotected sex with a basic stranger almost twice her age. Where did you come into it?"

"He wouldn't have gone after her if it wasn't for me," Darcy said, his voice unexpectedly painful. Lizzy took a breath and reminded herself that he simply had a big heart and took care of those he felt responsible for. The problem, as she saw it, was that he had a habit of irrationally taking on responsibility for everyone he interacts with.

"Maybe, maybe not," she shrugged; she was well aware that the fight was suddenly out of her voice. Now her priorities shifted, and she just wanted him to see he had nothing to feel responsible for. "You can't control everything, even if your intentions are noble. You can't predict the future, Will."

Surprisingly, he smiled slightly.

"What?" she asked, her own mouth curving upwards simply at the diverted look on his face.

"You called me Will." He pointed out. "You've been doing that, lately."

"Oh," she laughed a bit shyly. Encouraged by his soft, open tone, she explained, "I think you might always be Darcy to me," with an embarrassed smile.

"I like that, too," he murmured in a distractingly sweet way.

"But, sometimes…" she looked down at her drink, which she was currently stirring for no reason other than that she needed to let out a bit of nervous energy. "Sometimes you're in more of a Will mood, to me."

She was still looking at her hand anxiously twirling the straw in her water glass as she spoke, but when he reached over and took her hand, she met his eyes again. He was not the easiest person to read, sometimes. Now, though, his eyes spoke volumes. She let some tension ease out of her shoulders and smiled. She then brought their joined hands to rest between them on the table, feeling brave.

"Please let me help, Elizabeth," he said softly. "The house and car are already bought and half in her name. If you like, all three of you can move in."

She thought it was only fair to take a minute and really consider his offer, rather than flat our refuse, as was her first instinct. A house and car, payment free, as well as hooking Lydia up with a stay at home job that was sure to be an amazing opportunity, knowing Darcy Technology's reputation for taking care of their workers, was a lot to take in. The offer didn't just affect her; she knew her sense of pride and independent nature should not rob Lydia from something that would greatly affect her and Leo's lives. Without having to worry about rent or car payments, and with her and Jane to help with babysitting, Lydia could even finish high school. In just four years, Leo would be ready to go to school and Lydia could even go to college.

Still.

"I don't know if I could," she finally said. He regarded her seriously, but didn't comment, sensing more. "I don't want to speak for Jane or Lydia. We all have to be together at least until Leo and Lydia have a chance to bond again, so I also don't want to reject such a generous offer on her behalf. Maybe you can talk to Lydia and Jane and see how they feel about it."

"But, as for you?" he prompted.

"I don't know, Will," she sighed, looking back down at their still joined hands. "I can't see myself living in a house you bought, rent free."

"Elizabeth," He said with some frustration. "I'm trying very hard not to sound like the arrogant asshole I'm want to prove to you I'm not," he grounded out, "but it's not even a sacrifice on my part. The house, the car, I'll make up that difference very quickly."

"That's… not the point." She said, still a bit distracted by his arrogant asshole comment. Did he still think she thought that of him? She'd have to make more of an effort to show she didn't.

"Lydia deserves the support of her child's father, and she's never going to get that. Let me help." He squeezed her hand, and she looked back into his eyes. "You and I both know I will not miss the money. But if you do not feel comfortable about it, any one of you could pay whatever rent you choose to pay. We could put it into a college fund for Leo, perhaps."

"Will," she swallowed, lowering her eyes again. "That's still incredibly generous."

"I know we do not agree on my level of responsibly, but I can't help but look at Lydia and see my own sister," her surprised eyes met his remorseful ones. "I shouldn't have been so focused on Gigi that I let Wickham go back into the world with no one knowing what he really was."

"Alright," She found herself agreeing almost without thought, her heart breaking at the defeated look in his eyes. "I don't agree that any of this is your responsibility, and for the record I think you did all you could about Wickham when he…" She did not want to mention the attack on his little sister, so she swallowed and finished with, "but, alright."

"You'll move into the house?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'm paying rent." She clarified firmly. "But," she shrugged, her face and voice softening. "Jane and Lydia can make their own decisions, and you can do whatever you want with the money."

"Deal," he grinned.

Her heart did strange, wonderful things when he smiled.

Reluctantly, they let each other's hands go with the waitress brought their plates if food.

For the rest of the meal they caught each other up in their lives, consciously skirting around mentioning anything heavy for the rest of breakfast. They were both able to relax more, and Lizzy was delighted to get to know this more open, teasing Darcy. Slowly, they finished their food, paid the check, and made their way to the parking lot.

"Thanks for meeting me," She said.

He had walked her to her car, and now she had to get into it and drive away. Was she paranoid for her irrational fear that she might not see him again? They often fell in and out of each other's lives at almost a moment's notice.

"Of course," he seemed just as reluctant for her to go as she felt leaving. "Thank you for not fighting me on the check."

"Turns out there _is_ a limit to how much I want to argue with you in one setting," she teased with an affectionate smile.

His seemed a bit dazed by the look in her eye, and his mouth opened seemingly automatically. "Perhaps we could test that theory and have dinner soon."

"Sure," she said eagerly. She might have felt embarrassed were it not for the pleased grin he answered her with.

"I could come by tonight and talk to your sisters about the house." He offered hesitantly. "Afterwards?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Let's do that."

"Excellent." He nodded once, still smiling slightly.

"Ok. Well. See you then," she said.

He shifted his stance so he could open her door for her but before she could slip into her seat he leaned down, catching her slightly by surprise when he pressed his lips to her cheek. He pulled back before she could react, but the smile was already on her face when their eyes met. She couldn't have stopped the delighted expression any more than she could stop the flush of heat that started behind her neck and stained her cheeks pink.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," he finally said, his own smile much more confident after her obviously positive reaction.

No reply seemed appropriate to assure him that she was just as eager for their next meeting, but he didn't seem to be bothered by her lack of response. She slipped into the front seat finally, only closing the door when she had turned the car on and opened the window.

"Thanks for breakfast," she was still smiling, but since he was as well, she didn't try to tamper it.

"Anytime." He replied. He finally stepped back away, gave her a little awkward wave, then stood and watched her pull out of the parking spot and drive away. She watched him watching her in her review mirror before she had to turn and could no longer see him.

She gave in, then. She let out a laugh of pure happiness and excitement. Alone in her car, there was no one around to comment on the bright, goofy grin she had on her face because a man she professed to hate one year ago had given her a chaste kiss on her cheek. There was no one to tease her when she checked the time and already began counting down the hours until she would see him again. There was no one to roll their eyes when she stopped at a red light and checked her phone, knowing she had left him less than five minutes ago, knowing that he texted about as often as he opened his mouth in public, and not even caring.

 _I am very much looking forward to dinner tonight, Elizabeth._

Then, a minute later-

 _I am very much looking forward to seeing you again._

She shook her head and grinned.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly. Lydia, Jane, and Lizzy spent the whole day together teaching Lydia all of Leo's likes and dislikes. Lydia was still very apprehensive and had almost no confidence in herself when it came to taking care of Leo. Worse, anytime he got cranky and wanted someone else, she took it personally. Both Jane and Lizzy tried to reassure her, and though she stuck with it all day, she seemed miserable about it.

Reversely, though, when he was in a good mood and laughed and played with her, she seemed to brighten and attach herself even more to him. Jane was optimistic, of course, and even though Lizzy feared so much that the young mother would disappear into the night again, she did her best to keep these fears well hidden. Lydia was her little sister, after all, and she hoped taking a page from Jane and seeing Lizzy's faith in her would bolster her own confidence in herself.

While Leo took his afternoon nap, Lizzy made them all some sandwiches and brought up Darcy to her sisters.

"I saw Darcy this morning," she opened with. Both of them looked at her in surprise.

"Did he say anything about George?" Lydia asked with a worrying hopeful look on her face.

"Not much," she said softly. "Just that he was gone again." She hoped Lydia would react as she had, but Lydia's face dropped and she looked despondently down at her sandwich.

"He's offered to put the house and car in your name," She hurried on, hoping to both distract Lydia and to keep herself from lecturing her sister on having any faith at all in that man, or for even wanting him near her son. "He also wants to offer you a job. Something you can do part time at home."

"That's incredibly generous," Jane commented, sounding a bit surprised.

"I said the same thing. I don't know how you two feel about it, and didn't want to answer for you, so he's coming over before dinner to talk about the details," she went on to tell them a bit more about what she and Darcy had discussed, and the options available.

"So, George lied about everything," Lydia suddenly said, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "He said Will only cares about money, that he's shady and screws everyone over and doesn't care about anyone. He said he doesn't have to care, because his father left him all his money and people just fall in line behind him. He said Will was always jealous because Mr. Darcy loved George better, because George had always done the right thing."

"I'm sorry, Lyd," Lizzy replied, feeling that she was exerting an amazing level of self-control, because she very much wanted to defend Darcy and defame Wickham, but knew it would only hurt her sister more. She hoped this little display of anger was a true indication that her eye's had finally been opened to the true nature of George Wickham.

"I think I'm going to nap until Leo wakes up. Is that okay?" Lydia stood from the table, her jaw clenched.

"Of course," Jane rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"You put your faith in a man who didn't deserve it, Lydia. We were all fooled by him, and it sucks. But Leo loves you, and needs you." Lizzy said. She stopped herself after that, hoping she hadn't gone too far. Lydia's eyes flashed with anger again, and Lizzy winced.

"Fuck George," she surprised them both by spitting out. "I'm not leaving my son again."

With that statement, she quit the room. Lizzy and Jane exchanged astonished looks, but didn't comment.

* * *

Will knocked promptly at six. Lizzy let Jane answer, feeling suddenly shy. When she came out of the room she and Jane were sharing, though, she couldn't help the instantaneous and welcoming smile at the site of him standing uncomfortably in her living room.

"Can we get you anything to drink, Will?" Jane offered, pulling his attention from Lizzy.

"No thank you," his voice was distant but polite. His eyes soon slid back to land on Lizzy, seeming to take her in. "Shall we get started?"

They all gathered at the dining room table, where Will opened a folder full of papers.

"Has Elizabeth discussed my offer with you?" he asked, in full CEO mode.

"Yes," Jane nodded serenely. "We think it's best if Lydia makes the decision."

"Oh," Lydia seemed surprised when they all turned to her. Lizzy grinned with pride when Lydia squared her shoulders and then began asking a lot of questions about the deal. She and Darcy carried the majority of the negotiation, until Lydia finally hesitated, looking at her sisters.

"I don't think it's right, you two paying rent when I don't have to. Especially if it looks like it'll be going into a fund for my son." Lydia finally hedged.

"Lydia," Lizzy took her hand, but spoke firmly. "You know how much I take pride in my independence. I understand how you feel, trust me. But, an opportunity like this can change Leo's life. Let's face it, you won't be getting a dime of child support out of George, but this way you can still support yourselves without so many sacrifices."

"You think I should take it?" she asked, eyes wide in surprise.

"I do," Lizzy nodded. She was momentarily distracted by the smile that tugged at Darcy's lips and how much it transformed his face. "Do you need to? No. Will it make things so much easier? Absolutely."

"Jane?" Lydia turned to her other sister, who smiled.

"I agree with Lizzy. We all think this is incredible generous of you, Will," she turned to the made and spoke with a bit of admonishing in her tone. "And completely unnecessary, despite how you feel. But, Leo changes our priorities. I would be happy to sign a lease, and pay rent."

With that, she pulled the contract he had shown them over to her and signed her name. Wordlessly, Lizzy did the same. Lydia glanced one last time at both of her sisters, then did the same.

Darcy went over a few more details, but the conversation was wrapped up shortly afterwards. There was a bit of bustle as Lizzy and he then said goodbye to her sisters, informing them that they would be going out to dinner. By the look on Jane's face, Lizzy knew she wouldn't be able to stall much longer, and anticipated an interrogation on her relationship status on her return.

"You look very beautiful, Lizzy," Darcy murmured as soon as they were out on the porch. The compliment was unexpected, and she blushed.

"Thank you," she replied after a moment. "Where are we going?"

"How do you feel about Italian? My secretary mentioned a place that has a very good reputation." He walked her to the passenger side of his Audi, opening the door for her.

"Sounds perfect." She smiled, slipping into the seat with a "thanks."

* * *

Dinner was an ideal affair. The restaurant he had picked was obviously upscale, and Lizzy found herself wishing she had dressed up a bit more, but his admiring glance helped. The were led to the back of the restaurant, into an intimate table lit by candlelight. Darcy ordered wine, asking her preference. Lizzy knew nothing about wine, though, and simply agreed with his first suggestion.

They talked.

Really, really talked.

Darcy was letting her see his open, friendly and, dare she say it, charming self. The debated, of course they did, but tonight it was more like bantering. Lizzy had to admit she loved a good discussion, and Darcy was very good at holding his own against her. He was brilliant, and well versed in many of the topics she brought up. Consciously or not, neither of them brought up Wickham and Lydia or Charlie and Jane. She took a chance and teased him about his reserved, taciturn nature, and he in turn dared to tease her about blaming a man for being so tongue tied in the presence of a beautiful woman. She had blushed and was struck mute for a long minute under his content gaze.

When he took her home after that, she impulsively told him to pull into the very park near her apartment that they had reunited at. She led him to a trail that stayed lit until morning, and took his hand as they walked. They continued talking, more earnestly now. They both apologized for past misunderstandings and had the benefit of hearing the others side of their early interactions.

"You were always glaring at me," she offered softly.

"Yes," he acknowledged. "I think I was angry at you in the beginning."

"Angry?" she repeated, surprised. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," he assured her, squeezing her hand a bit. "Nothing but be as captivating as you are naturally. I… well, I had never been so struck by someone before, and I found I didn't like how out of control you made me feel."

"Oh," she accepted his words, but didn't know how to respond.

"That was so long ago," he hurried to explain, sounding anxious. "Now, I… feel very differently about the affect you have on me."

He was still a bit stilted, but she had never felt like she understood him as much as she did now, and she didn't need the words anymore. She squeezed his hand and when his still anxious eyes met her warm look, she saw him relax slightly, and return her small smile.

Here was another side to Darcy he was letting her see; open, bare, and vulnerable Darcy. He didn't seem to care that he was less than confident, that he was off balance and looking to her to steady him. Lizzy's face flushed, and, impulsively she stepped close to him. A small, amused smile slipped out of her at the sight of his wide, slightly surprised eyes when she moved into his space, but she was far too preoccupied by the sudden whim that had taken hold of her.

She broke eye contact to hold his tie, took a moment to feel the soft, expensive fabric of it before she fisted it and tugged. Instinctively, he stepped until they were chest to chest and put his hands on her sides. His eyes were still widened slightly in surprise, but his pupils were dark and his breath already hitching. Lizzy swallowed thickly, but before she could chicken out, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

He responded immediately, but they kept the contact chase for the moment. Lizzy pulled back and let her eyes lock onto her hand, which was still clutching his tie like she was afraid he might float away if she let go.

"I don't think I know how to act around you, anymore," she told him, shy despite her bold action.

"For the record," he immediately responded, his voice so low and husky he had to clear it to continue. "For the record, I very much approve of that particular act."

She laughed, meeting his eye again.

"Will," she sighed. "I like you. A lot."

"Do you?" he asked, looking slightly amazed.

"I kind of thought that was obvious." She blushed slightly, but still held her smile.

"Obvious," he kind of scoffed. "Lizzy, I never know what to think when it comes to you."

"I never know what to think when it comes to _you_ ," she tossed back with a bit of a tease.

"Do you mind," he asked, distractedly bringing his hand to rub his thumb across her cheek, "If I were to kiss you again?"

"For the record," she flushed, but tried to hide her shiver of pleasure. "I very much approve of your kisses. For now, just assume you have an open invitation."

"Lizzy," he had just enough time to murmur against her lips before he pressed his own against them.

Lizzy sighed, shifting to lock her arms around his neck without thought, only trying to get as close as she could. The feel of him pressed so tightly against her, the feel of his lips moving, caressing hers, was a heady experience and she hoped he would not pull back too soon. It was as if their first kiss had never been interrupted. The outside world faded away, and there was only the brush of Will's tongue on her lip, and then the taste of him as she let him deepen the kiss. His kisses were an experience she'd never had before; she never wanted him to stop. Was that normal?

"How long are you staying, Will?" she needed to know, after pulling back once more

"Another two months, at least." He replied, running a thumb softly along her jaw. "After that… I'll stay as long as you want me here, Lizzy."

"You have more money than sense, Fitzwilliam Darcy," she scolded with a roll of her eye, but then pecked him on the lips to show her approval.

"I lost you once, Lizzy," in sharp contrast to her teasing tone, his own voice had a desperate edge to it. His grip tightened on her waist, his hand was firm on her chin so they locked eyes. "You would be the only one who could make me leave you now."

"Will," she swallowed, "don't talk about leaving, not now. Please."

"If you like." He agreed easily. I'm not going to make the mistake of keeping myself hidden from you again, though, Lizzy." His voice was softer, less desperate and more matter-of-fact. "I spent a year cursing every missed opportunity I had to show you how much I admire you."

"I wish I could take back what I said, that day at Rosings," she told him. "I made it sound like I hated you but you know I didn't, right? I was just angry. I never hated you, Will."

"At the time, no, I didn't know that. But I believe you would have been very justified in hating me." he admitted with a grimace. "It's nice to hear that you didn't. That you don't."

"I told you," she tried to tease a smile out of him. "I like you. A lot."

"I like you a lot too, Elizabeth," He grinned in spite of himself, and kissed her again.

* * *

Lizzy stood on the porch of her apartment building, watching Will get back into his car. He was obviously waiting for her to make it safely inside before he left, though. She smirked at him, hoping he could see her roll her eyes, then waved and turned to unlock the door. She took another look back as she slipped in and locked the door behind her, smiling as she saw his headlights finally disappear from the parking lot in front of their building.

"Lizzy," Lydia's trembling voice snapped her out of her haze of everything Darcy and her heart stopped as she rushed into the dining room. Wickham was sitting at the table with Lydia, who was holding Leo.

"Big sis arrives at last," he bolstered. Glaring, Lizzy opened her mouth, ready to spew all manner of curses and accusations at him, but he reached below the table and came back up with a gun, which he set nonchalantly in front of him and she, wisely, bit her tongue. "Spare me the lecture. You and Darcy both," he scoffed. "I am only here to pick up my lovely wife and son."

"Why?" Lizzy had to ask, slowly making her way to her sister. Wickham didn't stop her, and she put her hand on Lydia's shoulder, hoping to comfort her.

"Because in case you haven't been paying attention, I have some very angry men after me, and Darcy was more than happy opening his bank account once when it came to these two," he sneered nastily at Lydia and his son. "Only, think of how much he'll be willing to pay to get them back in once piece?"

"Stop," the words are out of her mouth as soon as her brain processed his words. "Leave Lydia and your son. Take me. I won't fight you, and Lydia won't call the police when we leave."

"Right," he scoffed, but she could see the gleam of interest in his eye. She knew he must see the benefit of having one compliant woman rather than a scared young girl and their four-month-old son.

"For the sake of Leo, you know we will both keep our word." Lizzy said with as much confidence as she could. He _had_ to believe her. "And Darcy…" her heart constricted and she prayed what she was about to say would not cause him any harm. She hated to involve him, any more than he already was, but Leo's safety trumped everything. Wickham _was_ going to demand a ransom anyway. "You know Darcy loves me."

"I heard him say as much," Wickham laughed, more like a cruel sounding jeering than anything pleasant. "So, you managed to snare him after all. I thought so, when he tracked me down to ' _do the right thing_ ,' and offered to help ' _take care of my family_ '. You _must_ tell me how you managed it one of these days." Once more, his voice was cruelly mocking.

"Lydia, take Leo into your room and try and get him to sleep. Don't call the police, alright?" Lizzy told her sister seriously, taking her own phone out of her pocket. If Wickham had any brains, he would not let her keep it anyway. "Everything will turn out fine. Just think of Leo, and we'll get through it."

"Lizzy," Lydia's panicked voice finally burst out, causing Leo to begin to cry as Lizzy pulled her sister up to stand next to her.

"Just go. Darcy will work it out." Lizzy squeezed her sisters should as she spoke, put her cellphone in her lax grip, then firmly turned her towards the bedroom door. George and Lizzy stared silently as Lydia stiffly walked into the bedroom, turned on the light, and closed the door behind her.

"So," Lizzy turned to George, eyeing him critically, fear finally slipping though her carefully constructed defense, though she tried desperately not to show it. "Shall we?"

* * *

Please let me know your thoughts on this. Hope you enjoyed.


	5. Chapter 5

This story was ind of hard to control, in terms of making it go where I wanted it to. In the end, I decided to just write \how it flowed and not worry about what I thought needed to be in the story. I hope it turns out well, and at the very least you get enjoyment out of it.

* * *

An hour after Darcy dropped her off home after their dinner, Lizzy and Wickham were in a skeevy looking motel room, so close to the highway that Lizzy heard constant traffic noises. True to her word, she followed where he led compliantly, even so far as to stay in the car while he got the room key, in order to lessen the sightings of them together. Or, perhaps, to reduce the risk that she would be able to signal for help.

Lizzy did take a risk - in that she did what she was told. If she had tried to run, it would have been nothing for him to stop her; the counter had a full, open window right to the parking lot she was sitting in. If she so much as rolled her window down, he would see it without having to try. If she _did_ manage to run and get away, what then? He would just disappear and try again, putting Leo right back in his crosshairs.

As much as she did not want to, she stayed with Wickham and trusted that Darcy would somehow save the day. She spared only seconds to grin sardonically at the thought of choosing to wait until the man came to save the day. When did such an independent, I-can-fight-my-own-battles-thank-you-very-much girl turn into the damsel in distress? She would definitely lose her feminist card after this.

But, according to the villain, she made the right choice. As he led her into a room far in the back corner of the motel, glancing this way and that for any signs of being seen, he told her she had proven herself civil, and he promised to treat her civilly. As he closed and locked the door, pulling the curtains closed, she asked if that meant she was free to go. He sat on the bed, regarding her with an anger than made Lizzy wonder why she could never learn to keep her mouth shut.

"I need you alive, Lizzy Bennet, I do _not_ need you completely unharmed," His voice was cold, void of all emotion. Anger would have been preferable. Lizzy dropped her chin, attempting to look contrite. "Keep it up, and I'll slap that smart mouth of yours shut for you."

She didn't reply, though she did have to bite her cheek to stifle her angry retort. He was a lot more blatantly devious when he wasn't wearing that charming mask he presented to the world. She knew she was seeing him as he really was, and couldn't help but be grateful Lydia and Leo did not have to see this side of him, as they no doubt would have if he had stayed. She was trying not to show the fear that was running up her spine in cold, panicky waves. He was a lot more dangerous than she had imagined him to be.

Luckily, the moment passed. He stood from the bed and checked the windows again, carefully tugging at them to ensure no one could look in even if they tried very hard. He then went to the bathroom and looked around at all corners, but didn't go in.

"I need to make some phone calls. Get in here and turn the shower on. Don't come out until I tell you," He instructed briskly.

Lizzy stood and walked into the bathroom, then immediately turned the shower on.

"See there," he smiled, resembling the charming persona he presented to the world. Now that she had seen his true personality, though, she couldn't unsee it and even his once pleasant smile took on a sinister look. "This has the potential of going very smoothly. As long as Darcy is as obliging as you are, we will wrap this up quite nicely, and me and my five million will be on our way."

"Five million," she gasped, too shocked to think about hiding her reaction. "I think your overestimating my worth. How can you think Darcy will ever give you that much?"

"Because Fitzwilliam always does the right thing," Wickham sneered with such contempt there could be no doubt he had a deep-seated hatred for the man. "Because he will be able to be the good guy, coming the rescue of his lady love. No amount of money is out of the question, when there's a chance he can play the hero and I can play the villain. It's his favorite role, can't you tell?"

She still stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. Honestly, Lizzy wasn't sure Darcy would pay anywhere near that for her. Even on the off-chance what Wickham was saying was true, and Darcy got to play out some hero fantasy because of it. A year ago, she might not have batted an eye at this insight into his persona, but now Lizzy couldn't believe it, even considering the source.

Did Darcy take on too much responsibility? Sure.

Did he go around moving mountains for people seemingly on a whim? Yep.

Would he put his friends and family at risk so he got to one up his childhood rival? She had been wrong before, but even keeping an open mind about it, she couldn't believe it.

Still, Wickham seemed to. At the very least, he was trying to convince himself of it. Did he really believe Darcy would pay millions of dollars for her safe return then? She certainly didn't. She was pretty sure Darcy was _not_ still in love with her, for one thing. They were growing closer; she could well admit that. Maybe they would have turned into something, eventually; maybe she would have become someone he would care enough about to negotiate a ransom for. It was just too early, too soon. She had to keep Wickham believing she was worth the trouble to try, though, if there was a change of him getting caught. She _did_ believe Darcy would find a way to get to her without having to pay Wickham, but surely, he would need time.

She tried very hard back at the apartment to hint to Lydia to call Darcy as soon as they left. She had handed Lydia her phone and told her not to call the police, told her that Darcy would take care of it. Lydia _had_ to have worked that out and called him to let him know what was happening. He wasn't very far from her house, probably. He might be able to intervene before this gets any farther, with the connections and pull that came with the Darcy name.

"Also," George finally rolled his eyes, "I am a business man at heart. I'm expecting he'll talk me down to one, but that'll suffice."

 _Suffice_? Lizzy thought this, too, was an outrageous price, but she could at least _pretend_ it was plausible.

"Too much, and he'll be forced to have to track me down," He seemed to be put off by her still stunned face. "He can well afford to lose a measly million dollars."

"Right," Lizzy finally said weakly, and was relieved when he laughed.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," He took the door handle and pulled the door shut with a snap.

Lizzy sat on the edge of the bathtub, but then stood. She saw no harm in trying to listen at the door. A few futile minutes later though, she gave up. She could make out the tenor and cadence of his voice, but no words were clear. He was talking too low, and the shower was too loud in this tiny bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bathtub once more and tried to think. She needed to get Wickham caught with her. She needed to get a message out somehow for someone to call the police. She needed… she needed to do _something_.

She doubted he would give her much warning, so she tried to take inventory of her surroundings as much she could while either perched on the bathtub edge, or hovering close enough by. It didn't take long, there was not even any soap or shampoo; no towels, no paintings on the wall. There was no _window_. There was toilet paper, a shower curtain, and a bent wastepaper basket that looked like it had been kicked hard in anger. She was not exactly sure how she was supposed to MacGyver her way out of this situation.

Time dragged on. Eventually, Wickham let her out of the bathroom, but only to handcuff her to the radiator while he went out.

"I'm not going to run, George," she reasoned as he tightened the handcuffs painfully tight and shoved her roughly into a sitting position.

"Not now you aren't," he agreed. "Be a good girl, and this will all be over soon."

After he left, she tried for an hour to get out of the cuffs, or to detach herself from the radiator. Neither proved possible. Then, she banged as loud as she was able for as long as she was able, hoping someone nearby might hear and come to investigate. Nothing worked, and she grew frustrated, her wrists sore.

Soon, she let her thoughts wander. Jane would have heard of everything by now. Poor Jane, she had gone through so much in the past few years. Charlie, the baby, now Lizzy. She also wondered how Lydia was taking everything. What had happened between her sister and Wickham before Lizzy showed up? Had Lydia let him in freely, had she been happy to see him return?

That drifted to thoughts about the date her and Darcy had gone on. First and last, it looked like. Not that, for the danger she was in, she believed Wickham would really hurt her. It was hard not to think of that as being their only date, however. How could he want to continue seeing someone like her? With their history, almost nothing had ever gone right between them. George Wickham was the father of Lizzy's nephew, how could he want to continue to be tied to someone he so hated, who was constantly trying to destroy Darcy and anyone he cared about in some way or another?

She closed her mind and heart to those kinds of thoughts, surprised at how much the idea that she would not see him again after all this hurt. She couldn't keep her mind off of him fully, though, and instead focused on their wonderful date last night and how different things might have been now if she hadn't come home to Wickham with a gun, threatening her sister and her nephew.

Around three in the morning, Lizzy was dozing up against the wall. Wickham stumbled in drunk out of his mind, mumbled a few incoherent things to Lizzy, and promptly passed out on the bed once more. Lizzy was wide awake again. She renewed her effort to escape those damned cuffs, stretching until she thought her arm would rip off to try and reach his pocket and find the key. It was impossible, no matter how she tried it. He was just too far and her binds were just too tight.

She finally gave up just about the time he was waking up in the morning. They didn't speak to each other; Wickham showered and changed for the day. He went out briefly once more, but came back fairly quickly, tuning the small TV on to the news and eating his take-out breakfast.

He glanced at Lizzy once in a while as he ate, almost daring her to ask for food. She didn't. Dinner was not so long ago, and she was not so hungry as to have to beg him, as he very obviously was hoping she would. She did, however, have to pee. She cursed the wasted time in the bathroom, but then reasoned with herself that she probably wouldn't have risked it when Wickham was due to barge in at any moment. Even now, she did not want to risk what Wickham would do with a request to use the bathroom, and she didn't much want to dwell on it. She would hold it for now and hope he planned on locking her in the bathroom again.

Soon after that, though, he received a phone call. He rushed outside, but was back within ten minutes with good news.

"He already has the money and is ready for the exchange," Wickham burst open the door, his eyes dancing with delight and excitement. It was the first time he had spoken to her since last night.

"Really?" Lizzy asked skeptically.

"I told you, he wants his lady love back quickly and unharmed, and doesn't care about the money," Wickham bent down to uncuff her, then took hold of the still immobilized Lizzy, his grip tight on her arm as he pulled her to her feet and steered her towards the door. The bright sun blinded her momentarily after the dingy light of the darkened room, and she stumbled slightly as he pushed her to the car. He set her into the passenger seat and even pulled the seat belt over her lap, drawing it tight.

"Don't want you going anywhere, when we're so close," Wickham grinned. He slammed her door shut, and went around the other side.

* * *

They drove in silence for nearly an hour. Wickham was both elated and on edge, constantly checking his surroundings, doubling back and changing his route if he thought there was a chance someone was following them. Finally, he pulled into a secluded park, far away from any other cars.

"So, here's what's going to happen," Wickham turned to her with an evaluating glare. "I am going to meet Darcy, and I'm going to take my money. When I'm safely away, I'll text him where you are, and he'll come let you out."

"Let me _out_?" she questioned, dread sliding down her back at the amusement he tried to tamper filtered across his face.

"From the trunk," he clarified with clear pleasure.

"George," Lizzy croaked. "I won't try anything. I've proven I won't. I can't go in the trunk, I'm… I'm claustrophobic."

"Aw," he pouted mockingly before his face hardened. "You will do as you're told, or I swear to God I will _make_ you get in that trunk, and it will not be pleasant."

Lizzy swallowed. Her heart was pounding in her chest and all the fear she had been keeping at bay with a white-knuckled effort began flooding through her. She could only nod. Darcy was presumably nearby, she had to trust that he would find a way to capture Wickham as well as free her. If she fought Wickham now, the risk of something going wrong was too great.

"Good girl. Wait there," He grinned and gave her a patronizing pat on the hand.

She didn't think she could hate someone as much as she did George Wickham, who had turned her into this submissive, passive girl when all her instincts told her to fight.

He left his seat, came around her side and pulled her out. Her legs were numb, and her heart thumped in her chest with a painful tightness. For a moment, she panicked about the fact that she was panicking, but then she focused on her breath. Her brain felt at war, in one breath telling her to fight him off and make a run for it, and in the next telling her it would only be a short time in the trunk and she needed to calm down and get it over with.

She had started this little plan of hers the moment she handed Lydia her phone and hinted as heavily as she dared that Darcy should be the one who was informed. If she predicted his pull in this city and what it could get him, and if she was right about his firsthand knowledge of how George Wickham operated and who his associates were, then she had to trust that this would be over soon and the best thing to do would be to suck it up and lay in the trunk for a while.

"You've done me a great favor, Lizzy Bennet. I won't forget it when I'm enjoying my hard-earned money," he laughed, guiding her into the truck. "Stay cool," With those parting words and one last horrible smile, the trunk slammed shut and she was plunged into darkness.

She immediately tried to slow her breathing, knowing that panic would be her worst enemy. As a bead of sweat pooled at the back of her neck and dripped down her shoulder, though, she realized it was not her _only_ enemy. The heat would be deadly, eventually. How long did Wickham plan on leaving her in the car? Distractingly, she now wished she had asked to use the bathroom before they left.

She was not so far gone to think he would take the money and leave her to suffocate or die of heat stroke, but the thought did cross her mind. She firmly reminded herself that he just wanted the money with as little fuss as possible. A ransom was far easier to get away with than murder.

After a few minutes of pep talking, she began feeling around for a way out, sure that if Wickham _did_ happen to linger and make sure she - _behaved_ , as he put it - he would not be able to hold himself back for too long. There was no emergency latch, but Lizzy had already assumed the car was too old. There were also no tools; did Wickham plan it or was it just empty by chance?

She lost track of time for a bit after that. She didn't stop trying to break her way out, though. She was pretty sure she was just about to bust the back light out when there was shouting, the sound of running feet, and then a whoosh of fresh air as the trunk flew open.

"Elizabeth," Darcy's panicked voice filled one of the dark silhouettes that loomed over the now open trunk, as Lizzy was once again blinded by the bright sunlight after such darkness. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she croaked; her voice unexpectedly dry. Apparently, her mind had been far too preoccupied to notice her thirst, but now it felt incredible.

She began to climb out, and both Darcy and a man in a suit wearing a badge on his hip offered their hands. When she stood on wobbly legs, blinking rapidly to adjust to the bright sunlight, her hand stayed glued to Darcy's forearm and she dropped the man's. She took a moment to take the scene in as the detective, she assumed, asked her in a loud voice if she was okay, if she was hurt. There was an ambulance backing into a spot very close to them, as well as the flashing lights from a police car. Two more flashing lights were pulling in now, and she could hear the sounds of more sirens off in the distance, getting closer.

"You didn't pay him, did you, Darcy?" she finally demanded, her voice cracking on every word, her head throbbing with the effort of talking.

He stared blankly at her for a moment and then, to her utter surprise, tilted his head back and laughed, albeit a bit strained. He was still clutching her arm to help steady her as she gaped at him. Paramedics began looking her over, trying to lead her to the nearby stretcher.

"Are you really scolding me after I just pulled you out of the back of a locked _trunk_?" he asked, his voice both incredulous and deeply amused. She blushed, though she knew her face was already red form the heat of being in the trunk.

She couldn't answer, having finally be forced to address the detective and the two paramedic's insistent questioning of if she was okay, if she could tell them what happened. They bounced back a forth between the two, demanding answers from her until she finally dodged away from the paramedic's persistent hands.

"Stop, I'm just hot. I wasn't in there long. I wasn't hurt," she said with uncharacteristic irritation. When they backed off a bit, she turned back to Darcy, halting and unsure.

"N-no, I wasn't scolding you," she said softly, apologetically. "Thank you for saving me," She managed to get out before one of the emergency personal pushed a cold bottle of water into her hand and she drank gratefully.

"I gave him the money," Darcy explained as she drank. "But," he hurried on, tilting the bottle back when she was about to stop drinking. She made an indigent noise, but didn't lower the bottle again. She still had to pee, but she was incredibly thirsty as well, and she had the feeling she would be answering a lot more questions before she was allowed to see a bathroom. " _But_ we were able to get surveillance on his getaway driver before meeting him, and the police have already picked them up while we came to get you."

"Oh, my God. They caught him?" she asked with relief, looking to the now silent detective for confirmation. "Thank God."

"She's going," Darcy replied to the EMT's, who were like buzzing insects in the background, insisting she go get checked out.

"I told you, I'm fine," Lizzy shook her head as she waved her free hand dismissively. Darcy frowned, his jaw setting to stone. He took her hand, turning it firmly but gently this way and that. Soon, everyone's eye was on the deep angry red marks and the dark purple bruises she hadn't realized she must have been causing throughout the night, trying desperately to get out of those cuffs.

 _Once more_ , Lizzy thought a bit detached, _I am hurt by my absolute stubbornness_.

He finally took her hand in his and said "indulge me," before he led her towards the stretcher.

"Fine," she sighed, but spotted a rather forlorn looking bathroom at the edge of the parking lot. "But first, I have to pee," Without waiting to give the detective, the now _three_ police officers hovering nearby, the paramedics, or the overly protective Darcy a chance to argue, she pivoted her stride. Darcy still held fast to her hand, and one of the paramedics followed along behind them, but no one objected.

She dropped his hand a few feet from the door, and when she started to push the door open, she turned to look over her shoulder at the two men standing behind her.

"You're not going to just stand out here and listen to me pee, are you? I'm sure I can find my way back to the ambulance," Lizzy frowned at them, gesturing unnecessarily to the flashing lights only feet away from them.

"We'll wait," Darcy frowned. She gave a puff of frustration loose, but her bladder could not wait out an argument with him.

The bathroom was surprising clean, for being in the parking lot of an obscure, out of the way park like this. After she took care of her needs, she stood in front of the mirror for a minute. Her face was still hot and flushed red. Sweat had just about drenched her hair and clothes; she pulled her hair back and away from her face in an almost automatic attempt to tame it. Her arms were tired though, and the effort of walking and standing here were already taking its toll.

Darcy was standing exactly where he was when she walked into the bathroom, in a heated discussion with the paramedic who was also waiting. Though they both cut themselves off as soon as she stepped out, Lizzy got the gist of it. Darcy felt she had been in there too long. The stretcher had been brought over, so without comment Lizzy stepped towards it and accepted their help in climbing aboard.

They both fired questions at her again as they wheeled her back to the ambulance, where they loaded her but didn't take off. They checked her over thoroughly then, and started an IV drop to bring her fluids back up. As she was poked and prodded in the back of the ambulance, waiting for the paramedics to give her the all clear, Darcy stayed by her side, for which she was grateful. Probably he simply wanted to make sure she got a thorough examination, and knew that being able to ask all her questions was distracting her from protesting receiving medical attention she felt she didn't need.

Between telling her story and being questioned by the detective, with inquiries from the paramedics every once in a while, Lizzy also got answers to a few of her own questions. She learned that Jane, Lydia, and Leo were fine. That George and his accomplice and getaway driver were both in police custody, and that Darcy _did_ front the money, but he would be getting it back as soon as it was no longer evidence.

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this," Lizzy said regretfully after the detective went to talk to someone else in a suit, and one of the paramedics rubbed a cold gel over her scratched and bruised wrists. Confusion flashed over his face.

"I think that's the heat talking," He finally replied, brushing a few of her still wet curls back from her face. "Someone should get you a fan," he started to look around, no doubt seconds away from demanding the next person he sees go find or purchase a fan for her. Lizzy grabbed his hand with her recently bandaged one and tugged. He looked back at her, curious.

"Will, this is not the heat talking," She frowned at him. "I told Lydia to call _you_ , not the police."

"She told me," he nodded once, but still seemed confused about why she was upset about it. "She called me as soon as you and George left the apartment and told me what happened. We were able to get ahead of his plans because of it. Why should you apologize for that?"

"The only reason you keep having to deal with the man who's actively trying to hurt you any chance he gets is because of me," she told him, angry he was being so obtuse about it, angry he was making her say it. For a moment, he looked shocked. Then, his face clouded and he frowned.

"So, you are responsible for his actions," his voice was frustrated and sarcastic all at once. She had the thought, then, that perhaps this was not the best time for this kind of discussion, with both of them were still coming down from the stress of such a horrible few days, but it was a little late now. "Didn't you spend half of yesterday trying to convince me that he alone is to blame for what he does?"

"This is not the same thing," she said automatically, knowing how weak it would sound.

"How is it different?" he demanded, not going easy on her. "If you are responsible for Wickham taking you, or your sister and nephew, because he knows I will pay to get you back, then I am responsible for Wickham taking you, locking you up, and putting you in the trunk of a car."

She huffed, angry at herself more than his sound argument. She just didn't have the energy to fight, and he was making far too much sense. "I just got kidnapped and pulled out of a hot trunk, Will," she said, very obviously feigning a pout as she tilted her head back against the plastic of the stretcher. "You're supposed to just nod and agree with everything I say."

"I have a feeling," his voice was still a bit vexed, but it was also lowered, husky and intimate, made more so by the fact that she was the only one to hear his words, "that nodding and agreeing with everything you say is the surest way to get on your bad side."

She couldn't help the breathy huff of laughter that escaped her, her eyes sparkling up at him. "I want to say I'm insulted, but you might have a point. I don't think I would like a compliant Darcy. I think I'd miss fighting with you."

After that short reprieve, she proved her words by arguing with both Darcy and the paramedics when they told her she should, but didn't necessarily _need_ to go to the hospital. They were interrupted by another group coming over shortly after, though; more detectives this time. They asked her to tell the story one more time in as much detail as she could remember, but when they started probing her with questions after she managed to do so, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back in pure exhaustion.

"That's enough," Darcy's authoritative voice was like a clap of thunder. "She'd been cleared by the paramedics, and I'm taking her home. If you have any further questions, you can come by after she's been able to rest and recover."

"Sure, Mr. Darcy," the lead detective said amenably while Lizzy just looked anxiously from one to the next, incredulous and fearing their reaction of being talked to like he had any authority over them, to be demanding such things. The woman - detective Grace, Lizzy's mind supplied helpfully – then turned her gaze onto Lizzy.

"We're glad to have you back with us safe and sound, Miss Bennet," the detective told her with surprising sincerity. "If it's alright, I'll give you my card. Sometimes when we have a minute of quiet, details start to come back. You can call if anything comes to mind later on tonight or tomorrow. If you could, in the next few days, come down to the station and fill out a few things."

"Sure," Lizzy nodded, just happy to be going home. She took the proffered business card, and then Darcy was helping her down off the stretcher.

"Would you like me to carry you?" he asked, his eyes watching her like a hawk for any sign of distress. He kept a firm grasp on her upper arm, even after she was back on solid ground.

"No," she replied, slightly horrified at the thought. "Darcy, I told you. I'm fine. Just hot."

"You're exhausted, at the very least," he argued gently, but didn't press when she made no reply.

She passed out shortly after Darcy turned the car on. Later on, she would remember only fragments of the next twenty-four hours. She knew Jane and Lydia greeted her with more relief than she's ever seen either of them display. She remembered falling gratefully into bed, and the sound of Jane's voice assuring Darcy that they would take care of her, and yes, of course they will call him the moment she was awake. She remembered sleeping for a long time, interrupted only by Jane and Lydia's bed checks and the occasional bathroom break.

The only memory she could recall with any clarity, though, was the feel of being lifted, of feeling soft fabric against her cheek and a firm shoulder under her limp hand. She heard the faint thrumming of a heartbeat, and she smelled Darcy's soap and cologne. She shifted so her chin was tucked into his chest and her forehead rested on his shoulder.

"Fitzwilliam Darcy," she murmured sleepily, not even able to open her eyes. "You better not be carrying me like some faint-of-heart damsel in destress."

"That would be impossible," She both felt and heard his quiet response. "Because there is no reality where Elizabeth Bennet would ever be a faint-of-heart damsel in destress."

"Hmm," she smiled. "I didn't think so," Then, quiet and sincere, "thank you for not carrying me."

"Of course," he whispered back. Then, before the door burst open and she was besieged by two frantic sisters, "I'm very grateful you're safe, Elizabeth."

* * *

The following week was spent resting, meeting with detectives and other police personal, and insisting at least ten times a day that she was fine, thank you very much for your concern. Darcy was over once a day to check in on her, and she found she started to look forward to his daily visits, even if he was often somber and overly concerned. She also found she had to be careful what she said to him, because after sighing about how much work it would be to pack the whole house, he took it upon himself to hire movers for them. Lizzy decided to let that go with the most minimalist argument, considering he _did_ just save her life.

"You only get to use that excuse a few more times," she tried to frown at him, but she could tell from the amused look on his face that he saw the smile she was trying to tamper. "I get it, you paid someone a million dollars to save me from dying in the back of a trunk," she rolled her eyes in feigned disinterest. "That's only going to take you so far."

"Of course," he nodded, playing along. "But I do get to use it this time, right?"

"Sure," she sighed. "I guess."

* * *

They were in the new house a day before Lizzy was finally able to go off on her own, without Lydia or Jane insisting they join her. With her sisters she's been lenient too, because she knows that if it were either of them who had gone through what she did, it would take a long time before they were allowed to be out of her sight without her freaking out.

She decided to take a jog in the park alone. It was refreshing, but it was a bit of a walk now that they had officially moved into Darcy's rental. As she was making her way back to said house, though, a familiar Audi pulled up alongside her.

"Elizabeth," she turned her head and pulled her earbuds out.

"Hey," she smiled, surprised but clearly happy to see him.

"What are you doing out here?" Darcy asked with that apprehension he still hadn't been able to shake.

"Going for a run," she kind of laughed, looking down at her shorts and sneakers.

"Would you like a ride?" he asked. She was inclined to accept, simply to spend time with him, but she wasn't ready to go home to Lydia and Jane's anxious faces just yet.

"Where?" she finally asked boldly. His eyebrows shot up.

"Anywhere," he replied rather quickly. She grinned and walked around to the passenger side, where he was already leaning over to push the door open for her. "Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere but home," she sighed. "I just need some space from my sisters for a little longer."

He ended up taking her to his condo, the one he was still renting while staying in town. He ushered her in and led her to a plush couch. "Can I get you something to drink? Or eat?"

"No thanks," she shook her head emphatically. "Jane and Lydia have been shoving food and water at me every waking moment since…"

"Since their sister was kidnapped and held for ransom last week?" Darcy teased with a small smirk. She pushed his shoulder.

"Shut up," she shook her head, but was smiling. "Well, since I don't have to hide what an ungrateful, unsympathetic sister I am, I'm also going to mention that they're hovering. A lot," Darcy opened his mouth but Lizzy was quick to cut him off, "I know, I know, I would be acting the same way if I were in their shoes. Worse, probably."

"That's not what I was going to say," Darcy told her with a small shake of his head.

"Ok," She tilted her head slightly, "What were you going to say?"

"I was _going_ to say… you're welcome to come here anytime you need a break," He offered with a surprisingly open smile. Lizzy melted a little.

"You won't be hovering, then?" she asked in a soft teasing tone.

"Ah," he rose a shoulder slightly. "You have me there. I would most likely be as bad as your sisters when it comes to that. Worse, probably."

"Well," she feigned a deep, long-suffering sigh, "I really don't like the thought of someone hovering over me," daringly, she reached over and felt his tie – a different one today, she was almost disappointed to see, before continuing, "when _you're_ that someone, though, it's not such a horrible thought."

His smile never failed to have an unsettling effect on her heart. He leaned close and she felt his breath on her face when he asked, "Are you flirting with me, Miss Bennett?"

"Yes, Mr. Darcy," she smiled boldly, "I am," He was angling his head towards her when Lizzy's phone buzzed.

"Shit. Sorry," She pulled it out of her pocket, her hair falling over her face as she looked down at the text from Jane. She felt Darcy pull her hair back and tuck it behind her ear, his touch lingering and sliding down to her neck, leaving a trail of fire where he touched.

"Checking where I am," she showed the phone to him in frustration, then shook her head as she typed a quick reply back. "I told you, I'm a horrible sister."

"You're not a horrible anything, Elizabeth," he countered. She tossed her phone onto the coffee table and smirked back up at him, leaning back so they were as close as they had been before the interruption.

"You are such a sap, Will," she smiled broadly to show how much her feelings contrasted her words.

"Yeah," he agreed easily, "who would have thought?"

Then he kissed her.

Although the emotions were different from the first and second time they kissed, the passion was still there, the spark between them still present. She sighed with contentment into his mouth, bringing her other hand up to run her fingers through his hair. Soon, he pulled back and took in her features.

"You're so beautiful, Elizabeth," She shivered at his words. His hand was gripping her neck, and she could tell by the way his lips tugged up slightly to the right that he had felt it. "I love your eyes."

She sat up on her knees so she towered over him slightly and leaned down to kiss him. With every kiss, Lizzy felt a pull towards him; he kissed her like he was the one who was made to do it. He moved his hand from her neck to run through her hair. His other hand gripped her waist, flicking her tank top up slightly to be able to feel her skin. His touch was hot; she felt burned where his skin met hers. She shifted them until she could get one leg over his and settle down into his lap; he made an approving grunt as he pulled back from her mouth and kissed his way to her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access, reaching down to run her hands along his broad shoulders, his strong forearms, his solid chest.

"Off," She breathed, tugging his shirt.

He muttered something positive sounding at her command, but seemed to be having a problem detaching himself from her neck long enough to comply. Meanwhile, his hands were sliding further up her back, which was being exposed inch by inch as he pushed the fabric of her tank top out of his way. It was too small for her anyway, being Janes, and there was no room for his hands to fit in between it and her skin.

With a sound of frustration, she pulled back from him and reached down to slip her shirt off. Instead of reattaching his mouth to her skin, though, he took a minute to take in the sight of her. Because of the heat and the fact that she dressed for a run in the park today, she was wearing a light blue sports bra; not exactly her first choice if she knew this how her afternoon was going to go.

"Jesus, Lizzy," he managed. She kind of loved the strangled way he said it. "You're so beautiful," She would also never get sick of hearing that from him.

She sat up, running a hand through his dark wavy hair and tugging a bit so his head was tilted up towards her. She met his lips softly with hers, kissing him slowly once before pulling back, her teasing eyes meeting his. His groan let her know he was barely holding back. Swiftly – she couldn't even say how, he had turned them both to the side and laid her down on the couch, stretching out so his body covered hers.

"That was smooth," She couldn't help but say with admiration. He grinned a bit roguishly, then leaned close to her ear.

"That was nothing," He promised her, his tongue skimming the sensitive skin under her ear.

She bit her lip and shifted; her hips unintentionally grinded against his, causing incredible friction. She gasped and he bit down slightly on her neck, then soothed it with his mouth and tongue; she wondered if he could feel the erratic beating of her pulse. Since he was leaning over her, she had better access to the buttons on his shirt. She made quick work of them and though he still wore the shirt, she had accomplished what she had wanted – to be able to feel his skin.

Once she touched his exposed chest, she felt his muscles contract and grinned at the reaction she caused. With one hand still making a slow trail up his chest, around his side, and towards his back, she pulled the other hand back to run through his hair once more. She gave it another little tug and he took the hint, pulling back to meet her lips again.

His tongue claimed her mouth. Once more, she couldn't help but think how she had never been kissed like this before. She now knew why some people described fireworks and feelings of melting when they were kissed. She felt like she had molded to every contour of his and it was everything she could do not to shift her hips again to feel that friction – to feel, especially, his reaction to that friction.

 _Oh, what the hell_. Lizzy thought. _Screw taking this slowly. No pun intended_.

She moved a leg around his so that her legs were spread a bit wider and shifted her hips to press amazingly against his.

"Lizzy," He broke away from her mouth to growl her name at her. It wasn't much of a deterrent, if that was what he was going for.

"Did I do something wrong?" her eyes were the epitome of innocence, but she couldn't help the teasing smile that arose from her lips.

She kissed him again, straining upwards to reach his mouth, then his chin, then exacting a bit of revenge by darting her tongue out to taste the skin of his neck. He groaned again, and this time he pushed his hips into her. She hadn't been expecting it, and she couldn't stop the gasp that pulled from her at the feeling.

"We should stop," he said, but only leaned down to reclaim her lips. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked her between kisses. "Just say the word, and I'll stop."

"No," She said against his lips, her hands caressing his back. "No, don't stop."

* * *

Epilogue

It was almost Leo's first birthday, and after much mediating between her parents and her and her sisters, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet invited the lot of them home to finally meet their grandson. After much debating, Lizzy also decided to use this trip to introduce her parents to Darcy, hoping that having Leo there would help distract her parents from doing or saying anything too crazy in front of her boyfriend.

Her father seemed to be making an effort to know him, though that was fraught with barbed teases and a few antagonistic debates. Today, he had taken Darcy down to the right field to help fix the fence with a few of the farmhands. A bit before dinner, Lizzy decided they had had enough time bonding and rode over to rescue Darcy. She had saddled Jewel, the only mare she would ride, and thought to bring the men some cold water while she was at it.

She was also looking forward to seeing how Darcy was getting along with her father and the hired men who were like family to her. She imagined him adorably befuddled, trying to fit into the rough workman's group; like a CEO who decided to work in the warehouse for a day. He was young and fit, so she knew the men would not go easy on him even if he was her boyfriend. In fact, they would probably push him harder for that reason. He told her he had experience with farm work, of course, but she assumed there was a great difference between ranching and having a small farm attached to his wine vineyard.

When she rode up, he was standing with her father, already stripped down to a sleeveless white undershirt that showed dirt in spots. He was pointing down into the valley, where the fence ran and where they were currently working to replace it. They had the materials put aside, however, and instead of mending, the men where undoing the wires and posts and tossing them into piles on the side.

She slid off her horse, close enough to hear the conversation.

"You will save yourself time, labor, and materials if you do it this way. We switched our fencing technique out about ten years ago and the difference it made was noticeable," Darcy was telling her father and the other men, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead. They looked intrigued, most of them nodding thoughtfully.

Taking in the situation, Lizzy realized she had been thinking of Darcy all wrong. She knew he was a powerful man; smart, dedicated, and knowledgeable on a great many topics. Still, seeing him here not only pulling his weight but obviously gaining the attention and respect of the ranchers and her father? She couldn't help but admit it blossomed something in her heart. She was proud of him.

The image of him standing with her father, so sure of himself, looked natural. She finally realized that it looked like he belonged, like he was always there. So often she saw him out of his element, but she realized that was mostly when they were out in public together. She had always stanchly assumed he would not blend well with her homelife and family and had accepted it as a fact that didn't matter to her. Seeing him stand next to her father and the other farmhands like he fit struck her deeply. Her heart grew and suddenly she couldn't wait to be alone with him, sure that every emotion was playing out on her face.

"There's my girl," her father finally acknowledged her presence. She came forward with her bag of cold bottles and offered them out the men, but brought Darcy and her father one herself.

"How's it going?" she asked, as they gratefully took their drinks from her.

"Well, it looks like it'll be a bit more work than we thought," her father shrugged, showing surprising indifference to this fact. "But William here has given us a great alternative that he seems to think will save us from having to replace this part of the fence so often."

"It's not too complicated, and with who you have here it really shouldn't take that much longer," Darcy shrugged.

"Mama says dinner is ready if you guys want to head in," Lizzy said, hoping her father was eager to get back to the house.

"Ah, good," To her relief, he called the workers attention and let them know to head back for food.

"You take Jewel, Papa," Lizzy said casually. "I'll walk back with Darcy."

"You're a good girl," Her father pat her absentmindedly on the shoulder, then headed to the horse she had tied to the cart of supplies.

"Hey," She smiled up at Darcy.

"Hey," He had finished most of the water, and had just poured the rest over his head in an effort to cool off.

She unconsciously licked her lips as she took in the sight of him, then looked slightly to the side to make sure her father was riding away and the boys were following. Darcy took the button up flannel he had taken off and laid on part of the fence and then turned to join them, but she reached out a finger and thread it through his belt loop, turning him back towards her instead.

"Come here, I want to show you something first."

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

He was obviously hot, and tired, and most likely hungry. She hesitated, wondering if now was the best time for what she had in mind, but the feeling in her chest could not be ignored.

"You'll see," She tugged him forward, then let the fabric go and turned to head towards the hay barn about twenty yards away, sure that he would follow.

"Where are we going?" he wondered as they slipped inside.

Luckily, it was one of her father's newer purchases. It smelled like hay, of course, but it was still relatively clean. The windows were all open, so it was also relatively cool. At least, they were out of the sun. She stopped at a spot near the back that was private – none of the windows had a view and it was far enough from the door that they could hear someone come in but not be seen. She finally turned back, then looped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" he asked when she pulled back, his tone amused. She was relieved he wasn't short with her, understandably irritated at being delayed for no real reason when he was hot and tired.

"Worth it?" she wanted to know with a hesitant smile. His face turned from amused to affectionate.

"Always," He told her, leaning down to kiss her back. Her heart, already full from the realization that had hit her when she rode up only minutes before, overflowed at this perfect statement from him and she pulled back.

"I love you, Will," She told him. He looked like he wasn't sure he heard her correctly, or maybe didn't want to get his hopes up. She laughed from pure joy and repeated herself.

"Lizzy," He said almost reverently, and then kissed her soundly. She cupped the back of his head, running her fingers through his damp hair and placing the other hand against his chest. His own arms had encircled her so she was pulled flush up against him.

Things quickly escalated from there. Soon, they were both naked and laying on barrels of hay that were laid out; not exactly as comfortable as Lizzy had assumed it would be. The hay was scratchy, but she soon it was easy to ignore the feeling against her back. Will's intense focus was solely on her, and that was distracting enough. They had been together many times before; it had been passionate, teasing, slow and sensual, but as cliché as it sounded, this was the first time it felt like they were making love.

"Say it again," Will breathed as he hovered over her.

She looked him in the eye, and thought of how she felt when she saw him, how much she loved spending time with him, how even when they fought, she knew they would eventually make up. She brought back the feeling that had hit her just a little while ago when she finally realized what she had been feeling in these moments was love. By the look in his own eyes, she knew he understood.

"I love you, Will," She told him again.

"I love you, Lizzy," He replied with feeling, then leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

Afterwards, he pulled his flannel shirt off the ground and set it under her as they lay together. It was big on her, but there were still several parts of her body that came in contact with the hay. Still, it was better than nothing and she kissed him in gratitude. He brushed her hair back from her hot and sweaty neck, then kissed her shoulder. His nearness should have felt oppressing from the heat alone, but she was glad he hadn't pulled back. In fact, she grabbed his hand and tugged it around her so he was even closer. Despite their mutual intention of only resting a moment before redressing and finally making it to the main house for food, they both fell asleep.

Lizzy was awakened by Darcy surprised grunt. He was still lying beside her and was looking at his watch.

"Time is it?" she asked with a bit of anxiety.

"We slept for an hour. They should be back any minute now," Darcy sat up, then looked out the window.

"Is that rain?" Lizzy followed his gaze. The sky was dark, although no sounds of rain could be heard. She also noticed that the temperature had dropped slightly.

"They kept talking about a big storm coming in tonight; looks like it's a few hours early," He replied.

They quickly got dressed, then made their way out of the barn.

"Smells like rain," Lizzy commented, taking a deep breath in through her nose.

"It's going to loosen the ground up," Darcy frowned. "Looks like they already came by and covered up the materials."

"I wonder if they're looking for us," Lizzy said, hoping that in their slumber they hadn't missed someone coming in the barn to check on them. Darcy frowned as he seemed to follow her own trail of thought.

"Let's had back," He said. He took her hand and started to make his way to the main house.

"Hey," She stopped him just outside the door. He turned back with a questioning look on his face.

"I love you," She grinned. The smile that broke out on his face made the breath catch in her throat. He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you too," He said, still grinning.


End file.
